Echinococcus oligarthrus in the subtropical region of Argentina: First integration of morphological and molecular analyses determines two distinct populations

ARRABAL, J.P; AVILA, HG; RIVERO, R.; CAMICIA F.; SALAS, M.; COSTA,S.; NOCERA, GC; ROSENZVIT, M.; KAMENETZKY, L.

VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2017

0304-4017

h1 { margin-top: 0.85cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 115%; text-align: left; page-break-inside: avoid; }h1.western { font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12pt; }h1.cjk { font-size: 12pt; }h1.ctl { font-size: 14pt; }p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 120%; text-align: left; }p.western { font-size: 11pt; }p.cjk { font-size: 11pt; }p.ctl { font-size: 11pt; }a:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }Echinococcosisis a parasitic zoonosis that is considered as aneglected disease by the World Health Organization. The speciesEchinococcusoligarthrusis one of the causative agents of Neotropical echinococcosis, whichis a poorlyunderstood disease that requires a complex medical examination, maythreaten human life, and is frequently associated with a lowsocioeconomic status. Morphological and genetic diversity in E.oligarthrusremains unknown. The aim of this work is to identify and characterizeE.oligarthrusinfections in sylvatic animals from the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forestin the province of Misiones, Argentina, by following an integrativeapproach that links morphological, genetic and ecological aspects.This studydemonstrates, for the first time, oneofthe complete life cycles of E.oligarthrus inan important ecoregion. The UpperParaná Atlantic Forest constitutes the largest remnant continuousforest of the Atlantic Forest, representing 7% of the world?sbiodiversity. Thisis the first molecular determination of E.oligarthrusin Argentina. In addition, the agouti (Dasyproctaazarae),the ocelot(Leoparduspardalis)and the puma (Pumaconcolor)were identified as sylvatichosts of Neotropical echinococcosis caused by E.oligarthrus.Mitochondrialand nuclear molecular marker analyses showed a high geneticdiversity in E.oligarthrus.Moreover, the genetic distance found among E.oligarthrusisolates is higher than the one observed among Echinococcusgranulosus genotypes,which clearly indicates that there are at least two different E.oligarthruspopulations in Argentina. This study providesvaluable information tounderstand the underlying conditions that favour the maintenance ofE.oligarthrusin sylvatic cycles and to evaluate its zoonotic significance fordevising preventive measures for human and animal wellbeing.