Publications by authors named "Claudia Villanueva-Garcia"

Article Synopsis
  • * A long-term study conducted in southeastern Mexico aimed to detect Trichinella antibodies in coatis and raccoons from summer 2009 to winter 2013 using ELISA and Western Blot analysis.
  • * The study found no antibodies in the first two years, but by 2011, anti-Trichinella antibodies surfaced, peaking at 43% in coatis and 53% in raccoons by summer 2013, marking the first evidence of Trichinella in these species in a Ne
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Canine 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.

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The 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.

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More than 180 mammalian species have been found naturally infected with . Many of them play an important role in the maintenance of this parasite. In particular, new studies have appeared which indicate that some species of Procyonidae family may play a role as hosts, however, more data are needed to evaluate their long-term physiological response to parasite infection, especially for specific antibodies.

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Blastocystis 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.

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Coatis () and raccoons () potentially play an important role in zoonotic diseases because they may carry pathogens and can transmit them to humans. To date, our understanding of the immune function of these two carnivores is deficient. The aim of this study was to compare the number of leucocyte subtypes and the phagocytic capacity between the coati and the raccoon.

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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.

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For years, mammals of the order Pilosa have been considered Leishmania reservoirs. But while most studies have focused on sloth species, anteaters have been overlooked, and in many Leishmania endemic countries like Mexico, no studies have been carried out. The aims of this work were to identify the presence of Leishmania spp.

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Our 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.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the genetic variability and host specificity of Blastocystis spp. in wild howler monkeys across two rainforest regions in southeastern Mexico.
  • Analysis of fecal samples from 225 monkeys revealed that Blastocystis ST2 was the most prevalent, while other subtypes like ST1 and ST8 were present in lower frequencies and showed no association with specific monkey species.
  • The findings suggest that ST1 exhibits a generalist profile with low genetic differentiation, whereas ST2 displays high divergence, indicating distinct adaptation processes between generalist and specialist Blastocystis populations.
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A key step in the dynamics of vector-borne diseases is the role of seasonality. Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan that causes Chagas disease. Some wild mammals are considered natural hosts, yet not all mammals show the same response to infection.

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Limited serosurveillance studies suggested that orthopoxviruses (OPXV) are widespread in the US (e.g., Raccoonpox virus, Skunkpox virus, Volepox virus) and Brazil (Vaccinia virus); however, their animal reservoir(s) remain unconfirmed.

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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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Pathogen cross transmission between wildlife and domestic animals represents an extinction risk for wildlife; however, reliable verification is difficult to perform, and in some cases, it is even considered unlikely to be conducted. The aim of this work was to identify cross transmission of helminths between feral cats and captive wild felids at a zoological park in southeastern Mexico. Feces were collected from jaguars (Panthera onca), cougars (Puma concolor), ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), margays (Leopardus wiedii), and jaguarundis (Puma yagouaroundi).

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