ISSN Versión impresa 2218-6425 ISSN Versión Electrónica 1995-1043

RESEARCH NOTE / NOTA CIENTÍFICA

NEW RECORD OF HISTIOSTRONGYLUS CORONATUS (NEMATODA, MOLINEIDAE)

PARASITING BATS (MAMMALIA, CHIROPTERA) IN BRAZIL

NUEVO REGISTRO DE HISTIOSTRONGYLUS CORONATUS (NEMATODA, MOLINEIDAE)

PARASITANDO MURCIÉLAGOS (MAMMALIA, CHIROPTERA) EN BRASIL

1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil.

2Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil.

3Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil.

Correspondence to author/ Autor para correspondência: Érica Munhoz. Laboratório de Helmintologia Molecular,

Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio

Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, CEP 31270-901. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Phone: +55(31)3409-2851, Fax: +55(31)3409-2970.

E-mail: ericabiologia@gmail.com

1,2 3

Érica Munhoz de Mello & Reinaldo José da Silva

ABSTRACT

Keywords: Trichostrongyloidea – Parasite – Helminth – Gastrointestinal tract – Taxonomy – Minas Gerais

Histiostrongylus coronatus Molin, 1861 in the small intestine of Phyllostomus discolor Wagner, 1843

(Phyllostomidae) is reported. The helminth specimen was described based only an adult female, but this

one presented morphological characteristics compatible with previous descriptions of the species. The

present study expands the geographic occurrence of H. coronatus in Minas Gerais State and reports for the

second time this species in Brazil.

Neotropical Helminthology

513

Neotropical Helminthology, 2017, 11(2), jul-dic: 513-517

RESUMO

Palavras-chave: Trichostrongyloidea – Parasito – Helminto – Trato gastrointestinal – Taxonomia – Minas Gerais

Registramos Histiostrongylus coronatus Molin, 1861 no intestino delgado de Phyllostomus discolor

Wagner, 1843 (Phyllostomidae). O helminto foi descrito baseado apenas em uma fêmea adulta, porém

esta apresentou caraterísticas morfológicas compatíveis com descrições prévias da espécie. O presente

trabalho amplia a ocorrência geográfica do parasito para o Estado de Minas Gerais e constitui o segundo

relato da espécie do helminto no Brasil.

INTRODUCTION

514

the morphological measurements performed

through the photos by AxioVision 4.8 software

(Carl Zeiss Vision). Drawings were made on

CorelDRAW X8 software using the photos as a

background for a more accurate drawing. The

helminth was deposited under the number 7907 in

the Helminthological Collection of the Institute of

Biosciences (CHIBB), São Paulo State University

(UNESP), municipality of Botucatu, São Paulo

State, Brazil. This study was approved by the

Ethics Committee in Animal Experimentation

(CEUA/UFMG) under the protocol number

194/2015.

An adult female of H. coronatus (Figures 1-2) was

found in the small intestine P. discolor, presenting

the features following: Whitish color before or

after fixation. Body of more or less uniform width,

length 12.15 mm, width of the body at the height of

the nerve ring 251.5 μm, width of the body at the

level of the esophagus-intestine junction 252.8 μm

and largest body width 319 μm (middle of the

body). Cuticle without spines in the cervical region

or along the body. Presence of umbrella-shaped

head dilation surrounded by 8 large, backward-

directed, triangular spines with an average length

of 83 μm. Simple mouth. Claviform and well-

marked esophagus of length 786.5 μm. Nervous

ring 465 μm away from the anterior end, excretory

pore not visualized. Vulva simple at the end of the

second third of the body, with protruding lips, 5.07

mm away from the posterior extremity. Uterus

divergent and with muscular and unequal branches

of vestibules, the length posterior branch larger

(1.029 μm) than the anterior branch (130.5 μm),

well-marked sphincters. Uterus with few large

eggs of smooth and very thin eggshell (borderless

definition), with well-developed larvae. Egg length

119 μm by 87 μm wide (n = 1). Tail length 136.6 μm

and presence of a protrusion after the anus.

Presence of three small conical tubercules of length

18 μm. Together to the tubercules, there is a thin

spiniform projection, slightly more elongated than

the tubercules, 26 μm in length.

Histiostrongylus includes helminth species

characterized by the presence of an umbrella-

shaped cephalic dilation surrounded by 8 large

triangular spines directed to the back, body and

cervical cuticle without spines, divergent uterus

with muscular, and unequal branches of the

vestibules, being the posterior branch larger than

the anterior one. Species of the genus are reported

exclusively in bats, however, its occurrence is rare

(Vigueras, 1941; Barus & Valle, 1967; Santos &

Gibson, 2015).

Currently there are two valid species,

Histiostrongylus coronatus Molin, 1861 and

Histiostrongylus spineus Vaucher & Durette-

Desset, 1999, both parasites of Phyllostomus

discolor Wagner, 1843 (Phyllostomidae). The

former was recorded in Brazil, Colombia, and

Venezuela (Travassos, 1921; Diaz-Ungria, 1978;

Cuartas-Calle & Muñoz-Arango, 1999), and the

latter in Peru and Nicaragua (Vaucher & Duretle-

Desset, 1999). Both species are differentiated by

the esophagus and arrangement of the bursal rays 6,

8, and dorsal in the tail of the males (Vaucher &

Duretle-Desset, 1999). Histiostrongylus coronatus

has also been found in Phyllonycteris poeyi

Gundlach, 1861 and Chilonycteris fuliginosa torrei

Gray, 1843 in Cuba (Vigueras, 1941; Barus &

Valle, 1967). This study aims to report the

occurrence of H. coronatus infecting a bat in the

State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

An adult female of P. discolor from the

municipality of Uberlandia, Minas Gerais State,

Brazil was received dead and was frozen in a

freezer at -20ºC in the Urban Bats Laboratory of the

Zoonoses Control Center of the municipality of

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The

bat was thawed at room temperature and the

necropsy was performed. All helminth found was

fixed in 70% alcohol and clarified with Amann's

Lactophenol solution. The parasite was

photographed with a digital camera (AxioCam

ERc 5s, Carl Zeiss) coupled to the microscope and

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Neotropical Helminthology, 2017, 11(2), jul-dic

RESULTS

Munhoz de Mello & Silva

515

Figure 1. Schematic representation of Histiostrongylus coronatus. A - Anterior end; B – Posterior end with spines; C - Vulva and

muscular and unequal branches of vestibules; D – Egg with well-developed larva.

Neotropical Helminthology, 2017, 11(1), jan-jun Histiostrongylus (Nematoda) parasiting bats

516

DISCUSSION Other cases of synonymy were recorded in the

world literature, as follow: Histiostrongylus

octacanthus Lent & Freitas, 1940 (synonymy of

Stilestrongylus octacanthus (Lent & Freitas,

1940), according to Duretle-Desset & Chabaud

( 1 9 8 1 ) , a n d a g a i n s y n o n y m i z e d i n

Parahistiostrongylus octacanthus (Lent & Freitas,

1940), according to Vaucher & Durette-Desset

(1999)), Histiostrongylus parnelli Webster, 1971

(synonymy of Websternema parnelli (Webster,

1971), according to Vaucher & Duretle-Desset

(1986)), Histiostrongylus tipula (Beneden, 1873)

(synonymy of Molinostrongylus tipula (Beneden,

1873), according to Genov et al. (1992)),

Histiostrongylus spinosus Boulenger, 1926

(synonymy of Spinostrongylus spinosus

(Boulenger, 1926) according to Barus (1973)), and

Histiostrongylus ornatus Mönnig, 1926

(synonymy of Molinostrongylus ornatus (Mönnig,

1 9 2 6 ) , a n d a g a i n s y n o n y m i z e d i n

Molinostrongylus panousei Dollfus, 1954,

according to Genov et al. (1992)). In addition to

these synonyms, Vigueras (1941) summarized the

history of the classification of the genus up to the

date of publication of his study, presenting a

redescription of H. coronatus.

Some studies in South America reported the

occurrence of Histiostrongylus spp. in bats, but the

parasites do not present the features of the genus'

diagnosis. The species Histiostrongylus paradoxus

Travassos, 1918 was described in Brazil, and

nowadays this description is considered synonymy

of Anoplostrongylus paradoxus (Travassos, 1918)

(Vicente et al., 1997). Cuartas-Calle & Muñoz-

Arango (1999) reported three species, H.

coronatus, H. paradoxus (it identified wrongly for

being A. paradoxus) and Histiostrongylus sp., in

Colombia. According to the information in this

study, the description of H. coronatus specimens is

compatible with the description of the specimens

found in the present study. However, the reported

specimens of Histiostrongylus sp. probably do not

belong to this genus in fact, because the authors

present only the measurements of their specimens

and do not mention the presence of the cephalic end

in the umbrella-shaped with 8 spines, but only

umbrella form, a feature observed in other genera

of the Molineidae family.

Neotropical Helminthology, 2017, 11(2), jul-dic Munhoz de Mello & Silva

Figure 2. Microphotography of Histiostrongylus coronatus. A - Anterior end; B – Posterior end with spines.

Neotropical Helminthology, 2017, 11(1), jan-jun

517

Histiostrongylus (Nematoda) parasiting bats

In Brazil, H. coronatus has been identified in P.

discolor in the state of Mato Grosso (Travassos,

1921). Due to the helminth morphology and

dimensions, we identified it as H. coronatus,

although without the analysis of male morphology.

This is the second report of the species in Brazil and

the first report of occurrence in the State of Minas

Gerais.

helminth parasites of South American bats.

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Travassos, L. 1921. Contribuições para o

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família Trichostrongylidae Leiper, 1909.

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13, pp. 5-135.

Vaucher C & Durette-Desset MC. 1986.

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Websternema parnelli (Webster, 1971)

n.gen. n.comb. et Linustrongylus pteronoti

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BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

Received April 16, 2017.

Accepted July 24, 2017.