Rangelia vitalii and Hepatozoon canis coinfection in pampas fox Lycalopex gymnocercus from Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Abstract

Rangelia vitalii is a haemoparasite that infects erythrocytes, white blood cells and the cytoplasm of endothelial cells of blood capillaries of canids in South America, and has been detected in both domestic dogs and sylvatic canids. Hepatozoon canis is a parasite that infects neutrophils and monocytes of many mammalian hosts. This study reports the infection of Lycalopex gymnocercus from Santa Catarina, Brazil, with R. vitalii and H. canis. The piroplasm was observed on both blood smears and molecular tests. Many large piroplasms were detected inside the erythrocytes, with round, oval, or teardrop-shaped organism, that occurred singly or in pairs. They had an abundant, pale blue cytoplasm and decentral dark red small nucleus. The animal was also infected with H. canis that was detected only by molecular tests. The majority of haematological and biochemistry parameters were within the reference values for domestic dog and wild canids.

Molecular investigation and clinical management of Hepatozoon Canis infection in an Indian jackal – a case report

“…Also, Rhipicephalus spp. transmit an array of protozoal infections, coinfection of Anaplasma platys , Ehrlichia canis , H. canis and Rickettsia monacensis has been reported in dogs [ 26 ] and wild canids [ 2 , 27 ]. Molecular techniques can provide sensitive diagnostic tools for detecting protozoal diseases.…”

Hepatozoon sp. gamonts as an accidental finding in synovial liquid from an injured maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in southeastern Brazil

“…While Hepatozoon sp. related to H. americanum has been detected in maned wolf and crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) (CRIADO-FORNELIO et al, 2006;ANDRÉ et al, 2010;SOUSA et al, 2017), H. canis was detected in Cerdocyon thous and Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) (CRIADO-FORNELIO et al, 2006;SILVA et al, 2018). Additionally, a possible new Hepatozoon species that clustered separately from H. canis and H. americanum based on 18S rRNA phylogenetic inference has been detected in maned wolf, bush dog (Speothus venaticus) and hoary fox (Pseudalopex vetulus) maintained in captivity in Brazil (ANDRÉ et al, 2010).…”

“…Although not producing the clinical disease, Brazilian wild canids apparently have subclinical canine hepatozoonosis, which may be aggravated when associated with other parasites. For instance, Silva et al (2018) detected co-infection between Rangelia vitalii and H. canis in a free-living L. gymnocercus from the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Quadros et al (2015) also reported the co-infection by R. vitalii, H. canis, and Capillaria hepatica in an L. gymnocercus specimen, which developed a fatal illness, in the state of Santa Catarina.…”

Arthropod-Borne Pathogens in Wild Canids

“…Wild canids are also infected [ 234 ], but usually asymptomatic [ 239 ], although a hemorrhagic and hemolytic syndrome has been described in crab-eating foxes [ 240 , 241 ]. These wild carnivores are frequently found infected, suggesting a role as carriers for the parasite [ 242 ]; parasite DNA was found in pampas foxes as well [ 242 , 243 ].…”