Oncicola venezuelensis () (Acanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae) in Puma concolor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Specimens of Oncicola venezuelensis (Marteau, 1977) were recovered from fragments of intestinal tissue of a female Puma concolar (Linn, 1771) found dead in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro in 2017. A total of 140 helminths were recovered. Five males and 5 females of the helminths were analyzed morphologically as well as 50 parasite eggs recovered in intestinal contents. Morphologically, these helminths were compatible with the genus Oncicola, because of the size and shape of the proboscis, the size and disposition of the lemnisci and the morphometry of the eggs, in which the external membrane of the shell was delicate and clear. From histopathology, the helminths were deeply embeded in the mucosa reaching up to the muscle layer. One specimen was also identified molecularly with universal primers that amplified the eukaryote region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2. The helminth showed 99% identity with the gene sequence of O. venezuelensis deposited in GenBank. It is important to emphasize, this parasite has been very little reported in the literature, which reinforces the importance of this report.

Gastrointestinal Helminths in Wild Felids in the Cerrado and Pantanal: Zoonotic Bioindicators in Important Brazilian Biomes

“…Species in the genus Oncicola, including Oncicola campanulata, Oncicola chibigouzouensis, Oncicola oncicola, Oncicola lamacrurae, Oncicola venezuelensis, Oncicola magalhaesi, and Oncicola paracampanulata, are frequently found in wild felids [ 43 , 90 , 91 , 92 ]. A common challenge in the accurate identification of these species is the loss of characteristic hooks during parasite removal from the insertion tissue.…”

“…Although the histopathological response to intestinal epithelial invasion by Oncicola spp. often involves minimal signs of inflammation, the frequent observation of collagenous tissue at the insertion sites indicates chronic infection stages [ 92 ].…”

Intestinal Parasites of Neotropical Wild Jaguars, Pumas, Ocelots, and Jaguarundis in Colombia: Old Friends Brought Back from Oblivion and New Insights

“…The acanthocephalan genus Oncicola , consisting of twenty-four recognized species, has been circulating in South American felines for almost 9000 years [ 53 , 54 ]. Some scattered reports of O. canis, O. oncicola , and O. venezualensis have been reported in jaguars, ocelots, pumas, and margays across the American continent [ 13 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. We report this parasite genus in free-ranging jaguars and ocelots in Colombia for the first time since 1968 [ 61 ].…”

Pattern of anuran infection by acanthocephalans from the Cerrado, Northeastern Brazil with a summary for South America

“…When present, acanthocephalans were counted and stored in vials with 70% alcohol. Subsequently, they were temporarily mounted on slides containing glycerol (McAllister and Bursey 2007), analysed under a light microscope, and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level according to McDonald (1988), Van Cleave (1923, Smales (2007a), Amato (2010a), andPalmer et al (2020). The hosts were fixed in a 10% formalin solution, stored in bottles with 70% alcohol, and deposited in the Claude d'Abbeville Herpetological Collection at the Chapadinha Science Center of the Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Brazil.…”