Marsupials and rodents are the most important wild and synanthropic hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi due to the high frequency of infection, maintenance of diverse genetic populations of the parasite, and their close proximity to interact with both transmission cycles, sylvatic and peridomestic. Our aim was to identify the discrete typing units (DTU) of T. cruzi from different wild and synanthropic hosts in two regions of Mexico and to carry out a review of historical data focusing on current knowledge on the diversity and T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrently, there are some concerns about the situation and, in particular, about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. Rodents are an example of synanthropic animals in urban environments that harbor important zoonoses. Although the molecular identification of SARS-CoV-2 in Rattus norvegicus from New York City had been reported, in other studies, urban wild rodents infected with this virus have not been found.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVet Res Commun
April 2024
The study of lice associated with domestic cats is a neglected area of veterinary parasitology. In particular, the presence of the cat louse Felicola subrostratus, a small Ischnoceran species found in the fur of the domestic cat, is rarely recognized. In America, this species has been reported across six countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite responsible for Chagas disease affecting seven million people. The disease cycle is maintained between Triatominae insects and Mammalia hosts; a refractory effect against infection was noted in birds, but only verified in poultry. This paper presents a new host record for T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect animals, however, the whole range of potential hosts is still unknown. This work makes an assessment of wildlife susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 by analyzing the similarities of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Transmembrane Protease, Serine 2 (TMPRSS2)-both recognized as receptors and protease for coronavirus spike protein-and the genetic variation of the viral protein spike in the recognition sites. The sequences from different mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, and the sequence from SARS-CoV-2 S protein were obtained from the GenBank.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCanine Distemper Virus (CDV) can produce a fatal multisystem disease in carnivores and other mammals and is an important threat for wildlife conservation. However, integrative and comparative studies in wild carnivores are scarce and some areas of the world lack of genetic studies. We explore the dynamic of host-CDV in a procyonid community during an outbreak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe thoracic limb anatomy of anteaters in the family Myrmecophagidae is specialized for accessing termite and ant nests and for defense purposes. In the case of the northern tamandua (), the forelimbs are also adapted for arboreal and terrestrial locomotion. Unfortunately, this species faces many conservation threats, such as habitat loss and traffic accidents, and injured individuals are frequently taken to wildlife rehabilitation centers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlastocystis spp. are common intestinal parasites found worldwide in humans and a wide range of animals. They exhibit extensive genetic diversity; currently, 17 subtypes (STs) and some groups called non-mammalian and avian STs (NMASTs) have been proposed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTicks Tick Borne Dis
August 2019
The family Myrmecophagidae contains three anteater species: Tamandua mexicana (Saussure, 1860), Tamandua tetradactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) and Myrmecophaga tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758). These American anteater species currently face many conservation threats, among which road traffic accidents stand out. Parasitic studies on this family are scarce, and some of them include records of ectoparasites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBats can host pathogenic organisms such as viruses and fungi, but little is known about the pathogenicity of their parasites. Hemoparasites are frequently recorded in Neotropical bats, particularly (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae), but their pathogenic effect on bats is scarcely known. In this work, microfilariae were identified in four (8%) out of 51 sampled frugivorous bats belonging to three different species: , , and , which are located in Yautepec, Morelos, Mexico.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur knowledge of the parasite species present in wildlife hosts is incomplete. Protozoans such as amoebae of the genus Entamoeba infect a large variety of vertebrate species, including NHPs. However, traditionally, their identification has been accomplished through microscopic evaluation; therefore, amoeba species have not always been identified correctly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in rodents that coexist with ocelots in north-eastern Mexico. Eighty rodents of five genera were captured and their serum samples tested for specific IgG antibodies to T. gondii by in-house indirect ELISA using three different conjugates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasit Vectors
August 2014
Background: A large variety of mammals act as natural reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi (the causal agent of Chagas disease) across the American continent. Related issues are infection and parasite burden in these reservoirs, and whether they are able to control T. cruzi infections.
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