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Molecular and serological detection of Leishmania infantum, Toxoplasma gondii, and Leptospira spp. in free-ranging capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from the Atlantic Forest

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Abstract

Due to the ecological changes and imbalance in their natural habitat, capybaras have been found in both urban and rural areas in Brazil, which may favor the transmission of pathogens with zoonotic potential. Furthermore, in the northeastern region, there are no studies about the pathogens of free-ranging capybaras. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the role of capybaras as bioindicators of the presence of zoonotic pathogens and Neospora caninum in three Atlantic Forest remnants. For this, blood samples of 21 free-ranging capybaras were collected for the molecular detection of Leishmania infantum and serological detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii, anti-N. caninum, and anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies. The molecular prevalence of L. infantum was 38.09%, while serological prevalence of T. gondii was 33.3%. The anti-Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae (47.6%) and anti-L. borgpetersenii serovar Tarassovi antibodies (4.8%) were also detected. These pathogens were detected in animals in all three study areas, but no anti-N. caninum antibodies were detected in any of the animals studied. The results obtained show the role of free-ranging capybaras as bioindicators of zoonotic pathogens, which points to the need for surveillance programs to watch for the emergence of Visceral Leishmaniasis, Toxoplasmosis, and Leptospirosis in human and animal populations in the studied areas. The information from this study may support public policies for the conservation of capybaras and the ecosystems where these animals live, as well as for epidemiology and control of diseases within the One Health approach.

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Funding

This study was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior, Brazil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal Tropical (PPGCAT), Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Recife, Pernambuco, 52171-900, Brazil

    Silvia Gabriela Nunes da Silva Yang, Dênisson da Silva e Souza & Jaqueline Bianque de Oliveira

  2. Laboratório de Parasitologia (LAPAR), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Recife, Pernambuco, 52171-900, Brazil

    Silvia Gabriela Nunes da Silva Yang, Dênisson da Silva e Souza, Ana Cláudia da Silva Santiago & Jaqueline Bianque de Oliveira

  3. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular do Semiárido, Centro de Saúde e Tecnologia Rural, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Avenida Universitária, Patos, Paraíba, 58708-110, Brazil

    Raizza Barros Sousa Silva & Márcia Almeida de Melo

  4. Laboratório de Doenças Infecto-Contagiosas dos Animais Domésticos, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Rua Dom Manuel de Medeiros, Recife, Pernambuco, 52171-900, Brazil

    Pollyanne Raysa Fernandes de Oliveira & Rinaldo Aparecido Mota

  5. Laboratório de Doenças Transmissíveis, Centro de Saúde e Tecnologia Rural, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Avenida Universitária, Patos, Paraíba, 58708-110, Brazil

    Diego Figueiredo da Costa & Severino Silvano dos Santos Higino

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  1. Silvia Gabriela Nunes da Silva Yang
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  2. Dênisson da Silva e Souza
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  3. Ana Cláudia da Silva Santiago
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Correspondence to Jaqueline Bianque de Oliveira.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This search was approved by SISBIO (#53750-3) and the Ethics Committee on Animal Use of the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (CEUA/UFRPE #073/2016).

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RRH Pathogens of free-ranging capybaras

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da Silva Yang, S.G.N., da Silva e Souza, D., da Silva Santiago, A.C. et al. Molecular and serological detection of Leishmania infantum, Toxoplasma gondii, and Leptospira spp. in free-ranging capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) from the Atlantic Forest. Eur J Wildl Res 67, 13 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-020-01452-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-020-01452-4

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