Parasites at the wildlife-domestic interface: molecular evidence from wild and domestic canids from Corrientes Argentina

NATALINI, M. BELÉN; BAY JOULIÁ, RODRIGO; MONJE, LUCAS; ILLIA, GIMENA; KOWALEWSKI, MARTIN

Congreso; 71st Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association; 2023

Wildlife-domestic interface represents an area of contact between wild animals and human-associated domestic animals and promotes the transmission and exchange of pathogens, including zoonoses. In the wetlands ecoregion of northern Argentina, rural dogs live in sympatry with the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and the pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus).Due to their close phylogenetic relationship and the shared use of territory, domestic and wild canids living in interface zones can share species of gastrointestinal parasites (GP). In this study, we aimed to identify GP in canids from Mburucuyá National Park (-27.96 S; 57.98 W), San Nicolás, Iberá National Park (-27.98 S; -57.58 W), and from their interface zones, in Corrientes province. We recovered and compared different species of hookworms. We predicted that the ITS2 sequences of Ancylostoma spp. were similar in foxes and dogs living in sympatry. From July 2016 to December 2018, we collected fresh faeces of foxes and dogs. We processed samples individually, through methods of concentration and estimated the overall frequency and richness of GP. Morphological examination of eggs enabled diagnosis only to genus level. We isolated eggs of Ancylostoma and amplified the ITS2 sequence using primers RTGHF1-RTGHR1. The overall frequency was 68% in foxes (419/614) and 71% in dogs (82/117). The richness in both cases was 14 taxa, despite presenting different parasitic compositions, foxes and dogs shared more than 50% of the genera. Using PCR, A. caninum was identified in dogs (11/12) and foxes (6/6). The sequences obtained were 99.34-99.51% identical to the corresponding sequence of A. caninum (KC755026.1). Furthermore, A. brazilense was identified in one dog sample (1/12). These preliminary molecular results suggest the overlapping of Ancylostoma caninum in protected areas and interface zones. Besides, the presence of parasitic genera with zoonotic potential found in wild and domestic canids enhances the possibility of transmission to human populations.