Gastrointestinal parasite assemblages from the wild rodent capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) inhabiting a natural protected area from Argentina

TIETZE, E.; BELLUSCI, A.; CAÑAL, V.; CRINGOLI, GIUSEPPE; BELTRAME, M.O.

J. HELMINTHOL.

Cambridge

Año: 2023 vol. 97

0022-149X

Knowledge about parasitic diseases of wildlife will help us to understand the dynamics ofparasites and their effects on host populations. The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) isthe largest living rodent in the world, and its distribution is associated with the presence oftropical and subtropical wetlands in South America. The Los Padres Lake Integral Reserve(LPLIR) is an important conservation zone in the pampean region of Argentina. One of theemblematic species found within the reserve is the capybara. The objective of this study was todetermine the gastrointestinal parasites present in wild capybaras of the LPLIR and to comparedifferent coprological methodologies. Free-ranging capybara fresh feces from 57 individualswere randomly collected from the area of LPLIR in the summer of 2022. Three differenttechniques were applied: spontaneous sedimentation technique (SS), INTA modified McMastertechnique (MM), and Mini-FLOTAC (MF) technique. Fifty-six samples from all samplesanalysed (56/57, 98%) were found to be positive for gastrointestinal parasites. Two species ofStrongylida, Protozoophaga obesa, Echinocoleus hydrochaeris, one unidentified nematode, oneunidentified spirurid, and at least two morphotypes of Eimeria spp. oocysts were recorded. Therewere found significant differences in the proportion of positive samples and in richness bytechnique, but no significant differences were found in parasite counting. In conclusion, thechoice of methodology depends on the specific objectives of the study. This is the firstparasitological study of capybaras from the LPLIR and represents an exploration of parasitecommunities present in these wild rodents at their southernmost distribution.