First record of parasitism by Hepatozoon (Miller, 1908) (Apicomplexa: Hepatozoidae) in anurans from the Caatinga, Brazil.

Authors

  • Carla Adrielle Costa de Carvalho Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Veterinárias no Semiárido, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco. Rodovia BR-407, KM 12, Lote 543, S/N, Projeto de Irrigação Senador Nilo Coelho, Petrolina, Pernambuco 56300-000, Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6286-8284
  • Gabriela Felix-Nascimento Laboratório de Anatomia dos Animais Domésticos e Silvestres (LAADS), Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco. Rodovia BR-407, KM 12, Lote 543, S/N, Projeto de Irrigação Senador Nilo Coelho, Petrolina, Pernambuco 56300-000, Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8623-9546
  • Fabiano Matos Vieira Laboratório de Microscopia e Lupas, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco. Rodovia BR-407, KM 12, Lote 543, S/N, Projeto de Irrigação Senador Nilo Coelho, Petrolina, Pernambuco 56300-000, Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5220-7252
  • Lucio André Viana Laboratório de Estudos Morfofisiológicos e Parasitários, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá. Rodovia Juscelino Kubitscheck, KM 02, S/N, Jardim Marco Zero, Macapá, Amapá 68903-419, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0932-0479
  • Leonardo Barros Ribeiro https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4491-0236

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62429/rnh20241811782

Keywords:

Amphibians, Bufonidae, Haemogregarines, Hemoparasites

Abstract

The aim of this study was to register for the first time parasitism by Hepatozoon (Miller, 1908) in two species of bufonid anurans in areas of the Caatinga in Brazil, and to present morphometric analysis on the parasites and parasitized erythrocytes. During helminthological studies on anurans from the Brazilian Caatinga in 2019, blood smears of three specimens Rhinella diptycha (Cope, 1862) and three of Rhinella granulosa (Spix, 1824) in the municipality of Petrolina, state of Pernambuco, Brazil were analyzed. To make blood smears, blood samples were collected intracardiacally or through puncturing the ventral abdominal vein. The smears were analyzed under a light microscope at 1000x magnification. Morphometric dimensions of host cells and parasites were measured. The only parasite forms encountered in the blood of the two anuran species were intraerythrocytic gametocytes of Hepatozoon spp., only parasitizing erythrocytes, which had a hypertrophied appearance. Two distinct morphotypes of Hepatozoon were found: one in each host species and both of them different from morphotypes previously described and registered in Brazil. Therefore, the present study constitutes the first report of Hepatozoon sp. in anurans in the Caatinga biome, and also forms the first register of parasites of this genus in R. granulosa in this country.

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Published

2024-05-29

How to Cite

Costa de Carvalho, C. A. ., Felix-Nascimento, G. ., Matos Vieira, F. ., André Viana, L. ., & Barros Ribeiro, L. . (2024). First record of parasitism by Hepatozoon (Miller, 1908) (Apicomplexa: Hepatozoidae) in anurans from the Caatinga, Brazil. Neotropical Helminthology, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.62429/rnh20241811782