Sarcocystis spp. in red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama), and pudu (Pudu pudu) in southern Chile

Abstract

Worldwinde, cervids are considered an important source of infection and dissemination of a wide variety of pathogens, both for farm animals and humans. Among this diseases is sarcosporidiosis, which is a parasitic disease caused by Sarcocystis spp. (Protozoa: Apicomplexa). Most frequent clinical signs are hemolytic anemia, weakness, weight loss and decrease of growth and some species of Sarcocystis might cause abortions. The clinical disease in ruminants is fairly rare but the infection is very frequent. Infections are accumulative and the parasite does not generate immunity in any of the hosts. Ovine sarcosporidiosis is a serious issue in the some regions of Chile due to the macrocysts located in the muscle which means condemnation of the whole carcass. Sarcocystis spp. has been widely reported in red deer and other cervid species but in Chile the situation remains unknown. Nowadays there is little to no evidence of Sarcocystis in foreign deer in Chile and there is only one report of the parasite on pudu. The main goal of this study is to demonstrate the presence of Sarcocystis spp. in myocardium of red deer and fallow deer in Chile, and confirm the presence of Sarcocystis spp. in pudu. All cervid cases from 1994 to 2013 of the Institute of Animal Pathology of the Universidad Austral de Chile were reviewed. The animals selected were those in which a myocardium sample was taken. From the histopathological samples observed, it was found that 5 of the 9 red deer, 1 of the 4 fallow deer and in 11 of the 23 pudu there were Sarcocystis cysts in the myocardium. This study represents the first record for Chile of Sarcocystis spp. in myocardium of red deer and fallow deer. Stablishing the red deer, fallow deer and pudu as hosts of Sarcocystis aids to have a better understanding of the parasite epidemiology in Chile and the role of wild and captive cervids in the maintenance and spread of these parasites.

Molecular identification of sarcocysts from tissue of fallow deer (Dama dama) farmed in the open pasture system based on ssu rRNA gene

“…The definitive hosts of S. morae and S. linearis are unclear. However, phylogenetic data indicate canids as most likely definitive host of these two species [18,28]. It is possible that some Sarcocystis species in red deer may use other cervids as their principal intermediate hosts, and this may also indicate that many species of Sarcocystis are not as specific to their intermediate host as once believed.…”

“…Whether individuals remain asymptomatic or develop some degree of disease appears to be related to the quantity of the meat consumed, inoculum size and various host factors [12]. Compared to red deer, less data concern on fallow deer (Dama dama) [13][14][15][16][17][18]. The latest work [19] report fallow deer in Spain as a new host for S. morae, originally described from the red deer.…”

Parasitic findings on threatened pudu deer from Central Chile accounts first genetic characterization of lice parasitizing P. puda in Chile and the first molecular report of Taenia hydatigena metacestodes in this species

“…1977 ; Lobão-Tello et al. 2017 ), nonetheless, lacking on further molecular analyses. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine the parasitic status of P. puda in Central Chile (Maule region), the northern limit of habitat distribution of this specie in Chile.…”