EXPOSURE TO SELECTED PATHOGENS IN FREE-RANGING OWL MONKEYS (AOTUS AZARAI AZARAI ) IN FORMOSA, ARGENTINA

VIRGINIA RAGO; SORAYA ACARDI; D. JAVIER LIOTTA; MARCELO ROTUNDO; MARCELA OROZCO; RICARDO GÜRTLER; FERNANDA DEGESE; ADRIÁN DÍAZ; IVANA GHIONE; EDUARDO FERNANDEZ-DUQUE; MARCELA UHART

Lyon

Conferencia; 61st Wildlife Disease Association Annual Conference; 2012

Wildlife Diseases Association

The owl monkeys (Aotus azarai azarai) of the Argentinean Chaco are an excellentmodel to evaluate the potential effects of fragmentation on population dynamics andhealth since they inhabit both continuous gallery forests and forest islandssurrounded by human-modified cattle-grazing grasslands. To compare the healthstatus of owl monkey groups living in both habitat types, between February and April2011, eight adult owl monkeys were immobilized in a gallery forest within our corestudy site at Estancia Guaycolec in Formosa. Blood samples were collected andscreened for selected pathogens. All animals were negative for hemoparasites onblood smears, and microfilaria by Knott test. Evidence of exposure to yellow fever(serology) and Manzonella ozzardi (PCR) was also negative. One animal waspositive to Trypanosoma cruzi by kDNA-PCR (kinetoplast DNA) but negative by Sat-DNA-PCR (nuclear DNA). Because the latter method is more specific for T.cruzi, it ispossible that a different Trypasonoma spp. was detected. Leishmania Vianniabraziliensis DNA was found in four owl monkeys by PCR-RFLP (Restriction FragmentLength Polymorphism) and sequencing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the firstreport of L.V. braziliensis in this species. Comparisons between these findings andthose of owl monkeys in forest islands will shed light on the influence offragmentation on population health, which will in turn contribute to guide owl monkeyconservation strategies.