<i>Pulmonicola cochleotrema</i> (Digenea: Opisthotrematidae) in Antillean manatees (<i>Trichechus manatus manatus</i>) from the North-eastern region of Brazil

Borges, João Carlos Gomes; Jung, Larissa Molinari; Carvalho, Vítor Luz; Moreira, André Lucas de Oliveira; Attademo, Fernanda Löffler Niemeyer; Ramos, Rafael Antonio Nascimento; Alves, Lêucio Câmara

doi:10.1017/s0025315416000941

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…O Pulmonicola cochleotrema é um parasita platelminto pertencente à família Opisthotrematidae que pode atingir o sistema respiratório dos peixes-bois, levando-os a apresentar rinite crônica, doença de edema pulmonar, pneumonia ou evoluir ao óbito [12]. No Brasil, até recentemente, este parasita não havia sido descrito em peixes-bois, mas foram identificados em T. manatus de vida livre no Ceará [27] e posteriormente em Sergipe [19].…”

Section: Parasitáriaunclassified

Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases in Manatees in Brazil

Attademo

Oliveira

Sousa

et al. 2020

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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Background: Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus) and Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) are the two species of manatees that occur in Brazil, and both are endangered. Studies on manatee disease in Brazil were previously based mainly on Florida manatees. In recent years, these studies have increased in Brazil. Thus, the objective was to carry out a survey of the publications of infectious and non-infectious diseases in the two species of manatees that occur in the country, to assist in the identification of threats to the species and in the health assessment of manatees in the country.Review: Regarding infectious and contagious diseases, parasites have affected both species of manatees in Brazil, such as Pulmonicola cochleotrema in wild T. manatus, Toxoplasma gondii in both species, and Cryptosporidium spp. also in both species, this being an important agent of zoonotic character. Giardia sp., another zoonotic parasite, has also been reported in both species of manatees in Brazil. Mycotic lesions caused by B. hawaiiensis have been described in calves of T. manatus in captivity. Meanwhile, Candida sp., Trichosporon sp., Rhodotorula sp., and Cryptococcus sp. have been identified in T. inunguis. Studies on viruses in manatees are still not widespread compared to other species; however, it has been verified that rotavirus is present in T. manatus in captivity. In studies carried out to identify bacteria in T. manatus, the following bacteria were isolated: Arizona sp., Bacillus sp., Corynebacterium equi, Corynebacterium pseudodiphteriticum, Corinebacterium sp., Edwasiella tarda, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter agglomerans, Enterobacter sakasakii, Escherichia coli, Leptospira spp., Proteus sp., Proteus vulgaris, Providencia rettgeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus coagulase-negativa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Streptococcus sp., and Streptococcus viridans. Regarding noninfectious diseases, food-related diseases stand out, where gastrointestinal complications in manatees and obesity in animals in captivity are among the highest occurrences. Intestinal tympanism was reported in a T. inunguis calf, causing death of the animal. Pollution and contamination have also been a concern for the health of these animals. In studies carried out with T. manatus in Paraíba state, accumulation of heavy metals in the animals was verified, possibly originating from sugarcane farms in the region. The ingestion of garbage has also been one of the greatest threats to the health of manatees, where it was registered as a possible cause of death of T. inunguis in Amazonas state. Regarding congenital diseases, although rare in manatees, two calves of T. manatus in Ceará state have been described as having congenital malformations in the heart and brain, without a well-defined etiology. Trauma has been affecting both species; in Brazil, 17.3% of manatees reintroduced by 2018 showed evidence of collisions with vessels. Hunting for T. inunguis still occurs frequently, which has been greatly reduced for T. manatus.Conclusion: Pathogens and other factors that affect manatees have a potential impact on both species. Some of the identified agents have a zoonotic potential and, therefore, are also public health issues. This survey demonstrates that the need for incentives for studies on health assessment and pathogens in these species, both in the wild and in captivity, should be encouraged.

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Section: Parasitáriaunclassified

Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases in Manatees in Brazil

Attademo

Oliveira

Sousa

et al. 2020

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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“…Mortality of T. manatus has been linked to several anthropogenic and natural factors (Bossart et al, 1998(Bossart et al, , 2002aLangtimm et al, 1998Langtimm et al, , 2004Lightsey et al, 2006;Marsh et al, 2011). Anthropogenic threats are associated with hunting, interaction with fisheries, collisions with watercraft, and habitat loss, whereas natural threats are related to the incidence of diseases, parasites, predation, and stress from adverse climatic conditions (Bossart et al, 1998(Bossart et al, , 2002aLangtimm et al, 1998Langtimm et al, , 2004Mignucci-Giannoni et al, 2000;Parente et al, 2004;Lightsey et al, 2006;Marsh et al, 2011;Borges et al, 2017;Wyrosdick et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes of Mortality for Endangered Antillean Manatees in Cuba

et al. 2021

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The Antillean manatee is categorized as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature primarily due to its low abundance. Further declines in abundance are expected due to a group of human related threats that include illegal hunting, fatal interactions with fishing gear, increasing watercraft traffic, and pollution. The nature of current threats is not well described for every critical population of manatees. In particular, threats to manatees have not been documented or evaluated in a systematic manner in coastal waters surrounding Cuba, which is a major reason why plans specifically addressing conservation of manatees in Cuba have not been implemented. To address this lack of information, we assessed patterns in various threats by reviewing reports of stranded (alive or dead) and captured manatees, with some reports being historical and others consistently available since 2001. For 94% of the contemporary cases, carcasses of dead animals were reported; the remainder (6%) involved live manatees and subsequent efforts to rescue and rehabilitate them. Documented causes of mortality included poaching (38%), entanglement in fishing gear (10%), deaths of dependent calves (2.5%), and boat collisions (2.5%). The cause of death for the remaining 47% of reports could not be determined. Mortalities were highest in areas with intensive commercial fishing effort, and mortalities in marine protected areas indicated a need for improved management. These initial findings provide the first estimates of the magnitude of mortality of manatees in Cuba and yield valuable insights into the causes of deaths. The existence of intense and poorly regulated fishing in certain areas, including protected areas, represents a potentially significant threat to manatees. The effects and management of this activity, especially in habitats that are critical for manatees, merit further attention.

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“…Apesar do incremento de pesquisas com peixe--boi-marinho nos últimos anos [1][2][3][4]12,19,21], ainda são poucas as informações relacionadas à saúde da espécie, estando a maioria dos dados baseados em estudos realizados com a subespécie de peixe-boi da Flórida (Trichechus manatus latirostris) [7,12].…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Pyothorax in Antillean Manatee (Trichechus manatus) in Brazil

Attademo

Luna

Sousa

et al. 2020

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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Background: Manatees are the most endangered aquatic mammals in Brazil. The current conservation scenario, together with their biological characteristics, raises concern with the future of this species. Pyothorax, also known as septic pleural effusion or pleural empyema, is characterized by the accumulation of a septic purulent exudate within the pleural space. Although this infection often has a multifactorial etiology, it is most commonly associated with respiratory tract disorders and trauma. Here, we report a case of pyothorax in a Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus) held in captivity for acclimatization in Brazil.Case: A young, male Antillean manatee, aged 4 years and 11 months, measuring 227 cm in total length, and weighing 258 kg was held in captivity for acclimatization (natural environment) in Porto de Pedras in the State of Alagoas, Brazil. The animal died in February 2013 and was sent for necropsy at the CMA/ICMBio laboratory. The study was developed with authorisation from the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (License number 020/2009) and under the license SISBIO/ICMBio number 20685-1. Externally, the carcass of the animal showed swelling and bulging of the right antimere and purulent secretion from the right nostril. After external examination, a window was opened in the layers of skin, fat, and muscles from the level of the anus to the navel. Subsequently, the abdominal cavity was opened for inspecting the internal organs. The subcutaneous muscles had a slightly friable, swollen, and pale texture, in addition to petechial hemorrhage, suffusions, and marked edema of the subcutaneous tissue. The right hemidiaphragm was elevated, filling the abdominal and thoracic spaces. Depending on the elevation, all organs were moved to the left antimere. After dissecting the surrounding structures and analyzing the causes for the increase in volume, it was observed that the right lung formed a structure containing a large amount of purulent exudate, which was delimited by the right hemidiaphragm. It had a length of 111 cm, width of 40 cm, and wingspan of 137 cm, starting from the first thoracic rib to the last lumbar rib, near the peduncle region. After making an incision in the right hemidiaphragm and visceral pleura, approximately 70 L of purulent exudate and caseous material were removed. Since the right lung was severely damaged, visualizing the pulmonary parenchyma was not possible, and only remains of the main right bronchus could be seen.Discussion: Domestic species, such as dogs and cats, when affected by pleural empyema, usually have a restrictive breathing pattern (shallow and rapid breaths) and fever. Interpreting the clinical signs may be difficult for manatees because of their slow metabolism. In the United States, 44 (6%) cases of pleural empyema were recorded in manatees from a total of 731 animals evaluated, and shock with boats was determined as the primary cause. In the present animal, no signs of bone fractures were found, suggesting that the infection may have been caused by the use of an orogastric tube or even acquired in the environment prepared for acclimation. Based on the pathognomonic macroscopic findings, one can conclude that the animal had a characteristic clinical picture of pleural empyema (pyothorax) associated with an infection of unknown origin. This situation resulted in complete degeneration of the right lung and massive thoracic and abdominal distensions, resulting in decreased expansion capacity of the left lung, making breathing impossible, thus leading to death.

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Pulmonicola cochleotrema (Digenea: Opisthotrematidae) in Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) from the North-eastern region of Brazil

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases in Manatees in Brazil

Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases in Manatees in Brazil

Causes of Mortality for Endangered Antillean Manatees in Cuba

Pyothorax in Antillean Manatee (Trichechus manatus) in Brazil

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