The white-nosed coati (Nasua narica) is a naturally susceptible definitive host for the zoonotic nematode Angiostrongylus costaricensis in Costa Rica

Abstract

Angiostrongylus costaricensis (Strongylida, Angiostrongylidae) is a roundworm of rodents, which may cause a severe or fatal zoonosis in several countries of the Americas. A single report indicated that the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica), acts as a potential free-ranging wildlife reservoir. Here we investigated the prevalence and features of A. costaricensis infection in two procyonid species, the white-nosed coati and the raccoon (Procyon lotor) from Costa Rica to better understand their possible role in the epidemiology of this zoonotic infection. Eighteen of 32 (56.2%) white-nosed coatis collected between July 2010 and March 2016 were infected with A. costaricensis but none of 97 raccoons from the same localities were diagnosed with this infection. First-stage larvae of A. costaricensis were obtained from feces of 17 fresh white-nosed coati carcasses by Baermann technique. Parasite identity was confirmed by morphology, histology and molecular characterization of target genes. These data demonstrate that the white-nosed coati is a naturally susceptible definitive host for A. costaricensis in Costa Rica contrary to findings in the raccoon.

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis in the Americas: fifty years since the discovery of a new metastrongylid species, Angiostrongylus costaricensis

“…Therefore, the true taxonomic status of some specimens is uncertain. Other vertebrate species, such as domestic dogs [ 54 ] and white-nosed coatis ( Nasua narica ) [ 55 , 56 ] from Costa Rica, have been reported as potential reservoirs of the parasite based on the finding of A. costaricensis -like specimens in feces and mesenteric arteries that exhibited high sequence similarity to A. costaricensis (99–100%). However, Angiostrongylus minascensis , a newly described species found in Nasua nasua from Brazil, was 100% identical to the specimens obtained from Costa Rican coatis [ 57 ].…”

Angiostrongylus minasensis n. sp.: new species found parasitizing coatis (Nasua nasua) in an urban protected area in Brazil

“…Angiostrongylus minasensis n. sp. was a sister to the specimen isolated from Nasua narica (Santoro et al, 2016) with strong support in all topologies (LR-ELW = 93%; ML-BP = 99%; BPP = 100%). The genetic lineage formed by Angiostrongylus in coatis was connected via basal polytomy to the lineage formed by A. vasorum and the lineage formed by A. cantonensis, A. malaysiensis and A. chabaudi, with low support in the BI topology (BPP = 61%).…”

“…The finding of helminths harbored in the mesenteric arteries of coatis from the Mangabeiras Park in Belo Horizonte (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) initially suggested the possibility of infection by A. costaricensis, because this species has been reported infecting rodents and N. narica coatis in the Americas (Morera, 1973;Monge et al, 1978;Santoro et al, 2016). An alternative explanation was that the animals were infected by A. siamensis, which has been described infecting rodents in Thailand (Ohbayashi et al, 1979), since the latter species was also found infecting the mesenteric arteries of the caecum.…”

Histopathological findings of infections caused by canine distemper virus, Trypanosoma cruzi, and other parasites in two free-ranging White-nosed Coatis Nasua narica (Carnivora: Procyonidae) from Costa Rica

“…In Latin America, Nasua spp. host for several zoonotic parasites including Trypanosoma cruzi, and viruses such as canine distemper virus (Chinchilla 1966;Herrera 2010;Santoro et al 2016;Duarte Moraes et al 2017;Michelazzo et al 2020). In Costa Rica, the White-nosed Coati Nasua narica is a procyonid that is widely distributed in protected areas and is a frequent inhabitant of semi-urban or peridomiciliary zones (Wainwright 2007;Cuarón et al 2016).…”