Finding of microfilariae on Diuca diuca (common diuca-finch) from Telteca nature reserve, Mendoza, Argentina.

NEIRA G; PUEBLA B; BAZTÁN MD; CABALLERO S; GODOY D; MARINOZZI A; MERA Y SIERRA R; QUERO MARTÍN; VERCESI A; A ZARCO

Mendoza

Jornada; III Jornadas Internacionales de Investigación, Ciencia y Universidad; 2020

UMaza

More than 160 species of nematodes of the Onchocercidae family are known to parasite birds. There are reports of haematozoa infecting passerines in tropical and neotropical regions of South America. In Argentina, reports of microfilariae presence on blood of birds are scarce. Taxonomic identification of the filarial worms is achieved by means of the morphologic exam of the adult parasite and confirmed by molecular techniques. However, is not always possible to obtain the adult stage, due to their location on their host, many times hard to find, even on certain situations when there is access to necropsy. The common diuca-finch is a resident bird of Chile and Argentina of the family Tharupidae. The aim of this study is to report the finding of microfilariae on blood of Diuca diuca from the Telteca nature reserve of Mendoza province, Argentina. During September 2017, a common diuca-finch was captured by means of a mist net on the Telteca nature reserve of Mendoza, Argentina. A blood sample was taken from the vena ulnaris cutanea. The blood smear was fixed with methanol and stained with Giemsa and examined for the presence of haematozoa. Pictures of the parasite were taken with a digital camera on an optic microscope at 1000X magnification. In the pictures a calibrated micrometer was used as a measure reference to analyze the image of the parasite with the Image Analysis Software Fiji®. The following measures were taken, HW: head width; HS: head space, distance from the anterior end of the head to the beginning of nucleus; NR: distance from the anterior end of the body to the nervous ring; EP distance from the anterior end of the body to the excretory pore; IB: distance from the anterior end of the body to the inner body; AP: distance from the anterior end of the body to the anal pore. All the procedures done on this work were approved by the animal care and use committee from Universidad Juan Agustin Maza.Upon examination of the blood film, two microfilariae were found, yet one of them was too damaged to permit its correct measurement. The results obtained upon the measuring of the parasite were the following: HW: 2.79 µm; HS: 2.24 µm; NR: 22.67 µm; EP: 41.76 µm; IB: 65.92 µm; AP: 89.11 µm.To our knowledge this is the first report of microfilariae in Diuca diuca and the first for any passerine of Mendoza. The characterization of its morphology is important to collaborate with the current knowledge of these avian parasites. It would be important the future to be able to perform a molecular identification of the involved species of filarial nematodes. Albeit there are no many reports of these parasites causing important clinical signs on their bird hosts, it is known that knowing the parasite fauna of a wild species population can aid on the understanding of the health status of that population and its relation with its environment.