Molecular phylogenetic study in Spirocercidae (Nematoda) with description of a new species Spirobakerus sagittalis sp. nov. in wild canid Cerdocyon thous from Brazil.

The nematode family Spirocercidae Chitwood and Wehr, 1932, comprises three subfamilies, Spirocercinae Chitwood and Wehr, 1932; Ascaropsinae Alicata and McIntosh, 1933; and Mastophorinae Quentin, 1970, which occur worldwide. Spirocercids infect canids and can cause severe illness. The crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766), is a canid that inhabits most of South America, including Brazil and is a host for several parasitic worms, in particular, nematodes. However, few reports or genetic data are available on the spirocercids found in this host. In the present study, we describe a new species of Spirobakerus Chabaud and Bain 1981, from the intestine of two crab-eating foxes from two different biomes in Brazil. Spirobakerus sagittalis sp. nov. presents a) unequal spicules, with a long, thin left spicule with a lanceolated shape at the tip; b) a pair of sessile papillae and a median unpaired papillae located anteriorly of the cloaca, and c) a tuft without spines at the tip of the tail in females. The molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that S. sagittalis sp. nov. is basal to the other species of the subfamily Ascaropsinae, which was not recovered as monophyletic. Our phylogenies also indicated that Spirocercidae is paraphyletic, given that Mastophorinae did not group with Ascaropsinae and Spirocercinae. We provide the first molecular data on the genus Spirobakerus and expand the molecular database of the spirocercids. However, further studies, including the sequences of other spirocercid taxa, are still needed to infer the relationships within this family more accurately.

A New Species of Bidigiticauda (Nematoda: Strongylida) from the Bat Artibeus Planirostris (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in the Atlantic Forest and a Molecular Phylogeny of the Molineid Bat Parasites.

The nematode genus Bidigiticauda has 2 species (Bidigiticauda vivipara and Bidigiticauda embryophilum), which are parasites of bats from the Neotropical region. The present paper describes a new species of Bidigiticauda from a male Artibeus planirostris specimen collected in the Pratigi Environmental Protection Area in Bahia state, Brazil. The new species, Bidigiticauda serrafreirei n. sp., differs from B. embryophilum by having longer spicules, rays 5 and 6 arising from a common trunk and bifurcating in its first third, rays 3 and 4 emerging slightly separated from each other, and dorsal rays reaching the margin of the caudal bursa. The new species also differs from B. vivipara by the dorsal ray bifurcating at the extremity of the trunk. A molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted to determine the evolutionary affinities of Bidigiticauda serrafreirei n. sp. within the Strongylida, which identified a clade that grouped Bidigiticauda with the other members of the Anoplostrongylinae. However, the molineid subfamilies did not group together, indicating that the family Molineidae is polyphyletic. Further analyses, which include additional taxa and genetic markers, should elucidate the complex relationships within the Molineidae, in particular its subfamilies and the evolution of the traits that define these groups.

Neotropical wild rodents Akodon and Oligoryzomys (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) as important carriers of pathogenic renal Leptospira in the Atlantic forest, in Brazil.

Leptospirosis is an important worldwide zoonosis, caused by a bacterium of the genus Leptospira. For a better understanding of the disease, it is relevant the application of the one health concept. The Atlantic Forest is considered a biodiversity hotspot, with a great endemism of species and despite its importance and proximity to urban areas, the potential role of its fauna as carriers of infectious agents is still poorly understood. Although it is well-known that rats and mice are key reservoirs of leptospires, particularly Rattus norvegicus, wild rodents have also been revealed as reservoirs of leptospiral strains. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the sigmodontine rodents from genera Akodon and Oligoryzomys as pathogenic Leptospira carriers in the Atlantic Forest. We studied 52 Akodon spp. and 15 Oligoryzomys spp. from three areas. Overall 30% were PCR-positive for pathogenic Leptospira, 27% (14/52) Akodon spp. and 40% (6/15) Oligoryzomys spp. DNA sequencing of LipL32 gene confirmed nine species as pathogenic Leptospira. This remarkable incidence of leptospiral carriage within wild genera emphasizes the role of these rodents as carriers of leptospires throughout in this environment.

Lungworm Heterostrongylus heterostrongylus Travassos, 1925 from the black-eared opossum in South America: Morphologic, histopathological and phylogenetic aspects.

Nematode parasites of the cardiopulmonary system of livestock and pet animals have been receiving attention due to the pathogenic effects they produce in the course of the infection. However, parasitism in wild animals by metastrongilid nematodes has been neglected, resulting in potential risk to wildlife. Heterostrongylus heterostrongylus is the etiological agent of bronchial pneumonia in the black-eared opossum, Didelphis aurita, a widely distributed marsupial frequently reported to inhabit areas from wild environments to peri-urban spaces. In this study, we reassessed the taxonomy of H. heterostrongylus, describing and comparing morphology of L1 and L3 larvae and adult worms with closely related angiostrongilids, and inferring phylogenetic affinities within the family Angiostrongylidae; we also detailed histopathological reactions under natural infection. Ultrastructural morphology and light microscopy confirmed cephalic structures with well-developed trilobed lips, patterns of caudal bursa rays, spicules shape, terminal anal aperture and presence of the ventral protuberance in L3 larvae, characteristics present for the family Angiostrongylidae. Our molecular phylogenetic analyses, based on the partial small subunit (SSU) 18S rRNA gene, suggested that H. heterostrongylus and Didelphostrongylus hayesi are closely related. Pathological analyses agreed with previous findings, showing that cardiopulmonary parasitism provokes verminous pneumonia and mucous bronchiolitis with hypertrophy of the smooth bronchiolar muscle. These data confirmed that H. heterostrongylus represents a pulmonary pathogen in D. aurita, produces severe pathological effects, and may represent risk to domestic and wild animals.