Exposure of free-living jaguars to Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Sarcocystis neurona in the Brazilian Pantanal.

Selma Samiko Miyazaki Onuma,Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato,Thábata dos Anjos Pacheco,Daniel Moura de Aguiar,Peter Gransden Crawshaw-Junior,Andréia Lima Tomé Melo,Daniel Luis Zanella Kantek,Joares Adenílson May-Júnior

doi:10.1590/s1984-29612014077

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Sarcocystis neurona are related apicomplexan parasites that cause reproductive and neurological disorders in a wide range of domestic and wild animals. In the present study, the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) was used to investigate the presence of antibodies against T. gondii, N. caninum and S. neurona in the sera of 11 free-living jaguars (Panthera onca) in two protected areas in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Ten jaguars (90.9%) showed seropositivity for T. gondii, eight (72.7%) for S. neurona, and seven (63.6%) for N. caninum antigens. Our findings reveal exposure of jaguars to these related coccidian parasites and circulation of these pathogens in this wild ecosystem. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first serological detection of N. caninum and S. neurona in free-living jaguars.

Highlights

Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Sarcocystis neurona are related apicomplexan parasites that cause reproductive and neurological disorders in a wide range of domestic and wild animals
Antibodies against N. caninum have been reported in several wild species, such as wild herbivores and canids (DUBEY et al, 1999c; CAÑON-FRANCO et al, 2004; VALADAS et al, 2010; ALMERÍA, 2013), which can establish a plausible sylvatic cycle of the parasite, since coyotes (Canis latrans), dingoes (C. lupus dingo) and gray wolves (C. lupus lupus) are definitive hosts, to domestic dogs (MCALLISTER et al, 1998; GONDIM et al, 2004a; KING et al, 2010; DUBEY et al, 2011)
This study showed, for the first time, the occurrence of antibodies against three of the most important coccidia for veterinary medicine in free-living jaguars captured in the Pantanal, an important biome of South America, which is characterized by an extraordinary abundance of wildlife

Summary

Introduction

Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Sarcocystis neurona are related apicomplexan parasites that cause reproductive and neurological disorders in a wide range of domestic and wild animals. The presence of anti-N. caninum antibodies in several free-living and captive wild feline species has been reported worldwide (CHEADLE et al, 1999; FERROGLIO et al, 2003; SPENCER et al, 2003; SEDLÁK & BÁRTOVÁ, 2006; ANDRÉ et al, 2010), but no clinical cases resulting from this parasite infection have been described in naturally infected felids (ALMERÍA, 2013).

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