Intestinal helminth community structure of white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris) that inhabit rural areas of Buenos Aires, Argentina

ILLIA, GIMENA; GÓMEZ VILLAFAÑE, ISABEL E.; EZQUIAGA, M. CECILIA; CASSINI, GUILLERMO; GOZZI, A. CECILIA

Mastozoología Neotropical

SAREM

Año: 2024 vol. 31 p. 1 - 29

The white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris) is a neotropical marsupial that inhabits variousecoregions and highly modied environments. However, there is limited research on host-parasite interactionsand the structure of helminth communities in D. albiventris. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigatethe intestinal helminths of D. albiventris inhabiting a rural area in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and assess therelationship between host age and sex and helminth community structure. Opposums were captured in 2004and intestines were examined to detect helminths. By analyzing 22 intestines, we identied a total of 8 978helminths, including Cruzia tentaculata, Turgida turgida, Rhopalias coronatus, Brachylaima sp., individuals ofthe family Diplostomidae, and a single specimen of a cestode. Among these, C. tentaculata and R. coronatuswere the most prevalent species, with C. tentaculata exhibiting the highest levels of abundance, mean intensity,and aggregation index. To assess the inuence of host sex and age on parasite abundance and probabilityof occurrence, we conducted Generalized Linear Models. The results revealed that host juveniles had lowerhelminth prevalence and abundance compared to other age categories. Host sex was only signicant ininteraction with host age for parasite abundance in C. tentaculata and R. coronatus. Most captured juvenilesrelied on maternal feeding, potentially reducing exposure to consuming infected intermediate hosts withindirect life cycles. Understanding the parasite ecology of this opossum species in modied environmentsprovides valuable information about their role at the wildlife-human interface in anthropogenic areas.