Abstract
Brazil accounts for around 20% of all animal species, but these are constantly threatened by illegal anthropic activities. Unfortunately, animal dealers are totally unaware of the sanitary risks among wild animals, or that occurrences of parasites in these animals are bioindicators for their current sanitary status within the ecosystem in which they live. This status is an important parameter with regard to assessing the spreading of pathogens. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform a survey of zoonotic parasites in carnivores and non-human primates that are illegally traded in Brazil. Between June 2016 and July 2017, 43 wild animals (20 carnivores and 23 non-human primates) were presented at the Wild Animal Screening Center of Sergipe (CETAS/SE). Fecal and blood samples were obtained and analyzed to detect occurrences of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance, such as Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Dirofilaria immitis, Leishmania infantum, Leishmania braziliensis, Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma cruzi and gastrointestinal helminths. Out of all the animals analyzed, 55.8% (24/43) were found to be positive for at least one parasite species, i.e. 41.7% and 58.3% of the carnivores and non-human primates, respectively. However, all the animals were negative for D. immitis, L. braziliensis and T. cruzi. These findings demonstrate that illegally traded wild animals may represent a risk to public health because of absence of sanitary control during their transportation. Therefore, preventive measures might be employed to avoid infection of these animals and people in close contact with them.
Highlights
Brazil is the fifth largest country on the planet with a wide diversity of animal species
In Brazil, it has been estimated that 38 million wild animals are taken from their natural habitats, which may lead to income of up to 2.5 billion dollars per year (Rede Nacional de Combate ao Tráfico de Animais Silvestres, 2011)
Nine genera and/or species of zoonotic parasites were detected in this study, among which 33.5% (3/9) and 66.5% (6/9) were helminths and protozoa, respectively (p < 0.00001)
Summary
Brazil is the fifth largest country on the planet with a wide diversity of animal species. It has been estimated that about 20% of all animal species live in this region, in the different biomes such as the Atlantic forest, Pampas, Cerrado, Pantanal, Amazonia and Caatinga. Amongst these animals, at least 732 species are wild mammals (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, 2017). At least 732 species are wild mammals (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, 2017) Despite this great richness, these animals are constantly threatened due to anthropic activities such as deforestation, water pollution and, especially, wild-animal trafficking (Marchini et al, 2011). The consequences of the illegal trade in wild animals are immeasurable, especially from a One Health perspective, since these animals are acquired without any sanitary control and may play an important role as carriers of pathogens (Hernandez & Carvalho, 2006; Pavlin et al, 2009)
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