Abstract
Tungiasis is a neglected parasitic skin disease, caused by the female sand flea Tunga penetrans penetration, that is associated with poverty and occurs in many poor resourced communities in the Caribbean, South America and Africa. Although its effects on humans and domestic animals are well described in the literature, its epidemiology in indigenous populations remains enigmatic and little is known about the tungiasis impact on wild animals, such as jaguars, the only Panthera genus member on the American continent, an important species as an indicator of environmental integrity, which, in Brazil, is on the list of animals threatened with extinction by the Environment Ministry, categorized as vulnerable. The carnivore population decline in Amazon would be accelerated, especially in the eastern and southern border of the Amazonian domain, and it is known that anthropic factors favor the spread of generalist pathogens to new environments and species, representing a greater risk for wild populations. Thus, ectoparasites identification in jaguars is important not only to understand the role of this feline in maintaining the vectors in the wild, but also to know possible agents that can be transmitted by them. The objective of the present work is to report the tungiasis occurrence in five jaguars run over in Sinop, Sorriso and Lucas do Rio Verde, northern MT, between 2018 and 2020; this being the first scientific report found of parasitism by T. penetrans in jaguars in the Amazon biome. The lesions were found on the animals paws, characterizing phases two to five of the Fortaleza classification, and the infestations were evaluated as high, in the youngest animals, to low, suggesting that parasitism degree would be related to the age of the host.
Highlights
Tungiasis is a neglected parasitic skin disease, caused by the female sand flea Tunga penetrans penetration, that is associated with poverty and occurs in many poor resourced communities in the Caribbean, South America and Africa
Its effects on humans and domestic animals are well described in the literature, its epidemiology in indigenous populations remains enigmatic and little is known about the tungiasis impact on wild animals, such as jaguars, the only Panthera genus member on the American continent, an important species as an indicator of environmental integrity, which, in Brazil, is on the list of animals threatened with extinction by the Environment Ministry, categorized as vulnerable
The objective of the present work is to report the tungiasis occurrence in five jaguars run over in Sinop, Sorriso and Lucas do Rio Verde, northern MT, between 2018 and 2020; this being the first scientific report found of parasitism by T. penetrans in jaguars in the Amazon biome
Summary
Panthera onca is a mammal of the orderCarnivora, with wide distribution throughout the Americas (WIDMER, 2009), being the largest carnivore in South America, the third largest living feline in the world and the only representative of the genus Panthera in the American continent (ICMBIO, 2013).It has a robust, compact and muscular body, weighs between 35 and 130 kg, and measures between 1.7 and 2.4 meters; it is considered opportunistic in relation to its eating habits, and its preferred prey are medium and large animals (FURTADO, 2010).The jaguar is an important species as an indicator of environmental integrity, due to its position at the top of the food chain, and the removal of these species can induce structural changes in and it is associated with poverty, according to the ecosystem and loss of diversity, since, for Heukelbach (2005), and occurs in many resourceexample, in the absence of predators, herbivore poor communities in the Caribbean, South America populations tend to expand, increasing and Africa.the consumption of seeds and species in forestAccording to Ariza (2009), T. penetrans - regeneration, influencing the forest structure and Class: Insecta; Order: Siphonaptera; Family: dynamics (LEITE, 2000).Tungidae; Sub-family: Tunginae; Genre: Tunga; L., The area of historical occurrence of jaguars 1758) - is the smallest known species of the order covers from the Southwest of the United States to Siphonaptera, measuring only one millimeter.the South of Argentina, and currently its Larvae and adults live freely in different types of soil, geographical distribution has been reduced by 55% mainly dry and sandy. With wide distribution throughout the Americas (WIDMER, 2009), being the largest carnivore in South America, the third largest living feline in the world and the only representative of the genus Panthera in the American continent (ICMBIO, 2013). It has a robust, compact and muscular body, weighs between 35 and 130 kg, and measures between 1.7 and 2.4 meters; it is considered opportunistic in relation to its eating habits, and its preferred prey are medium and large animals (FURTADO, 2010). 50% of this material and other debris, adult male and female distribution area is located in Brazilian territory, fleas need to feed on blood to complete the life making Brazil an extremely important country for the cycle
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