Reproduction and parasitology of Didelphis albiventris (Didelphimorphia) in an agroecosystem landscape in central Argentina.

PEREZ CARUSI, LORENA; FARACE, MARIA ISABEL; RIBICICH, MABEL; GÓMEZ VILLAFAÑE, ISABEL

MAMMALIA

WALTER DE GRUYTER & CO

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2009 vol. 73 p. 364 - 371

0025-1461

The aim of this study was to assess the reproductive biology and parasitology of white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris) in one of the most austral sites of its distribution. The study was carried out every month from February 2004 to January 2005 in Exaltación de la Cruz, Buenos Aires, Argentina. One hundred seventy nine individuals from pouch young to age class VI were captured manually during the study. There were two distinct reproductive events during the breeding season, which lasted from mid- August to the end of February. Females produced two litters per breeding season, with a mean litter size of 8.75. The 13% of the opossums analyzed were infected with Leptospira interrogans. Seropositive individuals were detected from summer to mid winter. The prevalence was positive correlated to the accumulated precipitation of the previous month. The 4% of individuals were infected with Salmonella enterica. We did not detect differences in prevalence between sexes and age classes for Leptospira sp. nor for Salmonella sp. In addition, there was not an association between relatedness, seropositiveness and the type of serovar present. We did not detect the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi nor Trichinella spiralis in none of the opossums analyzed.