Canine distemper virus (CDV) causes systemic infections and immunosuppression in carnivores, which subsequently makes animals highly susceptible to opportunistic infections. Although Trypanosoma cruzi infects procyonids, chagasic myocarditis in Coatis has not been reported in Central America. The aim of this study was to report the histopathological findings caused by canine distemper virus, T. cruzi, and other parasites in two free-ranging White-nosed Coatis Nasua narica found dead in a national park on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Heart, lung, tongue, liver, brain and spleen samples were subjected to macroscopic and microscopic examination. A mononuclear meningoencephalitis associated with intra-nuclear eosinophilic inclusion bodies consistent with canine distemper virus was observed in nervous tissue. Myocarditis and associated nests of amastigotes of T. cruzi were observed during microscopic examination in cardiac tissue, and in muscle from the tongue of both animals. Molecular analysis confirmed T. cruzi in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded cardiac tissues. The myocardial damage caused by the opportunistic infection due to T. cruzi in these individuals could be the result of a severe compromised immunological status associated to the CDV infection, and subsequent opportunistic polyparasitism described herein. To the authors knowledge this is the first report of chagasic myocarditis in free-ranging coatis from Central America.
This study's main objective was to analyze the antibiotic susceptibility profile of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from a fecal sample of a captive Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) in Costa Rica. Materials and Methods: The fecal sample was collected inside the enclosure on March 3, 2017, right after the animal defecated. Samples were cultured on MacConkey agar plates nonsupplemented and supplemented with 2 mg/mL of cefotaxime. Bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility were performed with the Vitek 2 Compact System and the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction amplification was performed to detect bla CTX-M beta-lactamase genes. Resistant isolates were subjected to wholegenome sequencing (WGS). Results: After evaluating several antibiotic classes, a multidrug-resistant E. coli strain with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase phenotype was isolated. Resistance to cefotaxime, cefepime, ampicillin, ampicillin/sulbactam, and tetracycline was detected. WGS analysis showed the presence of bla CTX-M-1 , bla TEM-1B , and tet(B) genes. The presence of IncN plasmids and Col156 was also detected. Conclusion: Our findings are according with the notion that animals' high density enhances the spread of resistant determinants in a captive environment in a limited space, where the likelihood of direct or indirect contact with other animals and humans is more frequent.
The main objective of this study was to analyse the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Escherichia coli isolates obtained from faecal samples of free-ranging Baird's tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) in the northwestern region of the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica. Methods: Faecal samples were collected by opportunistic search of the study area from February-September 2017 during seven field expeditions. Escherichia coli isolates were recovered using selective and differential MacConkey agar medium and were subjected to biochemical identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using a VITEK 1 2 Compact automated system and the AST-N279 card. Results: A total of 60 E. coli isolates were obtained from 63 faecal samples. Following evaluation of nine different antimicrobial classes, 98% (59/60) of the isolates were characterised as pansusceptible; only 1 isolate presented resistance to nalidixic acid. Conclusion: We propose that the commensal intestinal microbiota of free-ranging Baird's tapirs in this area remains isolated from antibiotic selective pressure, probably because seven different protected areas converge, thus giving a possible low anthropogenic activity to the region.
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