Brugia guyanensis sp. n. (Nematoda: Filarioidea) from the Coatimundi (Nasua nasua vittata) in British Guiana

Abstract

A new species of filaria, Brugia guyanensis, is described from the lymphatic system of the coatimundi (Nasua nasua vittata) in the Rupununi District of British Guiana. This finding constitutes a new host, host family, and geographic locality for the genus Brugia. As compared with other Brugia species, B. guyanensis is relatively small, its left spicule long and hooked at the tip. In November 1962, a microfilaria of the Brugia type was found in a coatimundi (Nasua nasua vittata) from the Rupununi District of British Guiana. Subsequently, adult worms belonging to the genus Brugia were recovered from the lymphatic system of a coatimundi from the same area (Orihel, 1963). To date, 19 of these animals, including some very young ones 4 to 6 months old, have been examined for filarial infections, and in 17 of them the Brugia parasite was found; adult worms were recovered from the lymphatic system of nine. Although the genus Brugia is widely distributed in the Eastern Hemisphere, principally in Southeast Asia, and occurs in a wide range of hosts (Buckley, 1960; Laing, Edeson, and Wharton, 1960), it has not previously been reported from the Western Hemisphere, nor has it been reported in mammals of the family Procyonidae. The specific name selected for the new species is derived from the geographical area in which the parasite was first found. Brugia guyanensis sp. n.