ORIGINAL ARTICLE /ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL

HELMINTHS IN TADARIDA BRASILIENSIS (CHIROPTERA: MOLOSSIDAE)

FROM SOUTHERN BRAZIL

HELMINTOS EM TADARIDA BRASILIENSIS (CHIROPTERA: MOLOSSIDAE) DO SUL

DO BRASIL

1 1 2 1

Tatiana Cheuiche Pesenti , Sâmara Nunes Gomes , Ana Maria Rui & Gertrud Müller

universitário s/nº CEP 96010-900, Capão do Leão, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. E-mail: tatianapesenti@yahoo.com.br

of the family Molossidae with a widely

geographical distribution occurring from the

United States southwards through Mexico,

Central America and western South America,

including Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and

Argentina, to about 45ºS. It also occurs in the

Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and

Caribbean islands (Simmons, 2005; Wilkins,

1989). In Brazil, this species occurs in south

and southeast regions (Wilkins, 1989), where

Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera,

Diptera and Hemiptera (Kunz et al., 1995;

Whitaker et al., 1996), and in New Mexico,

Lepidoptera and Coleoptera were present in

the diet with higher frequency and volume

during the summer (McWilliams, 2005). In

studies conducted in southern Brazil, it was

found that T. brasiliensis consumes species of

Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera

throughout the year, diversifying the diet in

Jameson, 1959; Cain, 1966; Nickel & Hansen,

1967; Martin, 1976; Foster & Mertins, 1996;

Hilton & Best, 2000; McAllister et al., 2006),

a n d M e x i c o ( C a b a l l e r o , 1 9 4 2 ;

Guzmán–Cornejo et al., 2003). In the Southern

Hemisphere, the broader study was conducted

by Muñoz et al. (2011) in Chile. There are also

studies conducted in Argentina (Lunaschi,

2004; Lunaschi & Notarnicola, 2010).

Although many studies reported helminth

reported the number of hosts analyzed and

parasitic indexes (Pinto et al., 2011), which

prevents comparative analysis with

populations of T. brasiliensis from other

countries of South America and North

America. The aim of this study was to identify

the helminths of T. brasiliensis in southern

Brazil, estimate the parameters of prevalence

and mean abundance, and report new

distribution records of these parasites,

southern Brazil, both localities at sea level.

In March 2010, 20 adult specimens were

collected using a mist net at nightfall from a

colony housed in a vacated building in

downtown Pelotas. From March 2010 to

November 2011, 160 adult individuals were

collected from a colony housed in the attic of a

single story masonry building in the

Municipality of Capão do Leão. The capture

was also done at nightfall with a harp trap at the

Pesenti et al.

frozen. In the laboratory, the individuals were

thawed and necropsied. Their organs (pharynx,

lungs, heart, esophagus, stomach, intestines,

liver, and gallbladder) were removed,

individualized in Petri dishes and examined by

stereomicroscope, for collection of the

helminths. Digeneans and cestodes were

compressed and fixed in A.F.A. solution

(alcohol 70 ºGL 92%, acetic acid 3%, formalin

helminths: Travassos et al. (1969) and Bray et

al. (2008) for digeneans, Rego (1962) for

cestodes, and Travassos (1937) and Anderson

et al. (2009) for nematodes. The

parasitological indices were calculated

according to Bush et al. (1997). Fifteen

specimens were deposited in the

Helminthological Collection of the Laboratory

of Parasitology of Wild Animals of

Universidade Federal de Pelotas

Helminths in Tadarida brasiliensis

Of 180 hosts captured, it was noted that 164

(91.1%) were parasitized by at least one

species of helminth, and 16 (8.9%) were

negative. Forty-six of the infected hosts

(28.4%) harbored one helminth species, 48

(29.26%) harbored two species, 48 (29.26%)

harbored three, 17 (10.36%) harbored four

species, and 5 (3.04%) harbored five helminth

species described in this study.

specificity of different species of helminths.

Limatulum oklahomense has already been

reported in other species of bats in the USA

(Macy 1931; Martin 1976; Foster & Mertins

1996), Mexico (Caballero & Bravo-Hollis,

1950) and Paraguay (Lent et al., 1945). This

study records the first occurrence of L.

oklahomense in Brazil, expanding the area of

distribution of this parasite. Macy (1931)

observed low prevalence (3.6%), whereas

Foster & Mertins (1996) recorded a prevalence

Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia,

Uruguay, and Argentina, showing a wide

geographic distribution (see Guzmán-Cornejo

et al., 2003). In this study, we report the first

occurrence of U. scabridum parasitizing T.

brasiliensis in Brazil. The values of prevalence

of this helminth in T. brasiliensis are quite

discrepant in the different regions studied. We

obtained a prevalence of 11.25%, a higher

value than that obtained by Guzmán-Cornejo

et al. (2003) in Mexico (8.3%), and lower than

those obtained by Lunaschi & Notarnicola

number of hosts analyzed.

compared with those recorded in the USA by

Foster & Mertins (1996) (22%), and by

McAllister et al. (2006) (10%).

The life cycle of helminths found in this study

is unknown, but it is known that the parasites of

Chiroptera belonging to the families

Lecithodendridae, Phaneropsolidae,

Urotrematidae and Hymenolepididae, are

usually found in insectivorous hosts and have

an indirect life cycle, utilizing insects as

intermediate hosts (Berenguer, 2006; Bray et

al., 2008). Family Molineidae parasites have a

direct life cycle and the infection of the

definitive host occurs by eating a larva in its

third stage of development. Although most

and there is a need for more studies to a better

understanding of their life cycle and its

interaction with the host.

This study represents a significant contribution

to the knowledge of the parasites of bats

reporting new distribution records of

helminthes. Ochoterenatrema labda had been

described in the USA, Mexico, Panama,

Colombia and Argentina; L. oklahomense in

the USA, Mexico and Paraguay; and M.

delicatus only in the USA and Mexico. These

Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres da

Universidade Federal de Pelotas

(NURFS/CETAS/UFPel) for opening the

building for the bats capture, and CNPq and

CAPES for financial support.

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Lent, H, Teixeira De Freitas, JF & Proença,

Bush, AO, Fernandez, JC, Esch, GW & Seed,

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