Filling gaps of knowledge in parasites of wild and domestic carnivores of Chile

SOPHIA DI CATALDO; AITOR CEVIDANES; CLAUDIA ULLOA-CONTRERAS; SACRISTÁN, IRENE; DIEGO PEÑALOZA-MADRID; CATALINA MUÑÓZ-SAN MARTÍN; JAVIERA CONSTANZO; CABELLO, JAVIER; GERARDO ACOSTA-JAMETT; HIDALGO-HERMOSO, EZEQUIEL; SALLABERRY-PINCHEIRA, NICOLE; JULIANA VIANNA; MARIA STEFANIA LATROFA; NAPOLITANO, CONSTANZA; DANIEL GONZÁLEZ-ACUÑA; DOMENICO OTRANTO; PEDRO CATTAN; JAVIER MILLÁN

Panamá

Congreso; XXV Congreso de la Federación Latinoamericana de Parasitología, V Congreso Nacional de Microbiología y Parasitología; 2018

Federación Latinoamericana de Parasitología

Carnivore parasites such as Hepatozoon spp., Babesia spp., Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, and Spirocerca spp. affect both domestic and wild carnivores, and some of them are zoonotic. In Chile, there is limited or null information about their presence, although these parasites have been reported in neighboring countries. The aim of our work was to determine its presence and importance for dogs and wild foxes. Blood from 1139 dogs, 131 culpeo foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) and 79 chilla foxes (L. griseus) were obtained in six bioclimatic regions of Chile, and necropsies of 66 roadkill foxes were performed. The presence of Hepatozoon spp. was found in 0.5% of dogs and 59% of foxes. Babesia vogeli was confirmed in three dogs (4%) and in no fox. Leishmania spp., DNA was found in 4% of dogs and 5% of foxes Trypanosoma cruzi in 17% and 10%, respectively. At necropsy, two foxes were found parasitized with a Spirocerca sp.showing only about 94% identity with S. lupi. This study confirmed for the first time the presence of Hepatozoon, Babesia, Leishmania, Trypanosoma and Spirocerca in dogs and/or foxes from Chile. At the light of the results, risk factors analysis for these pathogens will provide tools for better understanding the dynamic of parasitization in carnivores. These parasites should be taking into account by Chilean veterinarians, physicians and wildlife managers.