FINDING OF FASCIOLA HEPATICA IN A CAPYBARA (HYDROCHAERIS HYDROCHAERIS) IN TANDIL, PROVINCE OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

SOLANA MV.; SCARCELLA S.; SOLANA H.

Congreso; XXI Reunion anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Protozoologia; 2019

Fasciolosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Fasciola hepatica. The life cycle of thisparasite is indirect, it needs a snail of the Lymnaea family as an intermediate host to complete the cycle and sothe occurrence of cases is limited to the presence of these snails. Most of thestudies of this parasitic disease are in domestic animals and humans. Greateconomic losses are generated by this disease. Wild species are known to act asreservoirs and disseminators of the disease. The south-eastern zone of theprovince of Buenos Aires has been described with reference to the presence of Fasciola spp.  in cattle but it is not yet known whether wildherbivores living in the zone are involved in the biological cycle of thisdisease. Among the wild species that have been positively reported to Fasciola hepatica the capybara, (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) is a poorlydescribed species. In August of the present year, in the district of Tandil(BsAs), a dead capybara recently run over was found. At the macroscopicinspection the liver was apparently normal. At the magnifying glass inspectionof the gall bladder, characteristics yellowish eggs were found. They werephotographed with the Leica microscope and it can be seen that due to theirmorphology, size and location they were compatible with Fasciola hepatica eggs. PCR was performed in search of the mitochondrial geneITS1 (species indicator) confirming that the eggs found in the capybarabelonged to Fasciola hepatica.This is attractivefor two main reasons; first, in the area where the animal was found there areno scientific reports of this disease or the presence of the snail, whichprompts us to work on a more exhaustive search for cases. And secondly, thestudy of wild species as transmitters of this disease is not well studied andthis ends up being a complication for producers and for the population ingeneral, so we consider that its study is very important