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SummaryThe genus Trichinella is widespread in all continents but Antarctica. The only way to identify the species/genotypes is through molecular analyses. In Chile, only one study has reported Trichinella larvae in a cougar, but the species of Trichinella was not identifi ed. In this work, the fi nding of Trichinella larvae in a cougar, together with their genotypic identifi cation, is the fi rst documentation of such in Chile. The cougar was found run over by a vehicle in the Biobío Region. Larvae were isolated following artifi cial digestion of the diaphragm and analyzed by means of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A PCR product of 173 base pairs allowed for the classifi cation of the larvae as T. spiralis. It is the fi rst record of the species in Chilean wildlife. This fi nding in Chile is interesting in terms of human health, suggesting a possible role of the cougar as a reservoir for this parasite

Ascorbic acid, the reduced form of vitamin C, functions as a potent antioxidant as well as in cell differentiation. Ascorbate is taken up by mammalian cells through the specific sodium/ascorbate co-transporters SVCT1 and SVCT2. Although skeletal muscle contains about 50% of the whole-body vitamin C, the expression of SVCT transporters has not been clearly addressed in this tissue. In this work, we analysed the expression pattern of SVCT2 during embryonic myogenesis using the chick as model system. We cloned the chick orthologue of SVCT2 (cSVCT2) that shares 93% identity with the mouse transporter. cSVCT2 mRNA and protein are expressed during chick embryonic muscle development. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that SVCT2 is preferentially expressed by type I slow-twitch muscle fibres throughout chick myogenesis as well as in post-natal skeletal muscles of several species, including human. Our results suggest that SVCT2-mediated uptake of ascorbate is relevant to the oxidative nature of type I muscle fibres.

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