Molecular characterization of Sarcoptes scabiei causing severe mange in two Andean foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) from Peru.

Cases of sarcoptic mange in the wildlife population have been increasing around the world in recent years. In this study, we report the first case of severe sarcoptic mange in two Andean foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) and molecularly analyze the collected mites. The National Forestry and Wildlife Service of Lima, Peru, found an adult male Andean fox in the province of Callao in August 2022. The veterinarians decided to euthanize the fox due to the severity of the mange. In August 2023, an adult male Andean fox was found dead in the province of Huaral by veterinarians. Both foxes were sent to the veterinary school in Lima for necropsy. Skin samples from different body zones were digested in buffer lysis, and mites were detected in the tissue samples. A morphological diagnosis identified the mites as Sarcoptes scabiei. The mites from both foxes had the same nuclear (ITS2) and mitochondrial (cox1) genetic marker sequences as the S. scabiei sequences from dogs, vicunas, Andean foxes, and water buffalos recorded in GenBank. Unlike ITS2, phylogenetic analysis of S. scabiei cox1 showed host-related nucleotide sequence polymorphisms. Future molecular studies of S. scabiei from different hosts and localities will be necessary to better understand the transmission of this disease in Andean foxes.

Molecular survey of hemoplasmas in asymptomatic vicunas (Vicugna vicugna) from the Pampa Galeras Bárbara D'Achille National Reserve in Peru.

Hemotrophic mycoplasmas (hemoplasmas) are epierythrocytic bacteria that infect wild and domestic animals, and can cause anemia in some of them. They are considered emerging and zoonotic pathogens, causing serious health problems in wildlife. Candidatus Mycoplasma haemolamae is the only species of hemoplasma that infects domestic South American camelids (alpacas and llamas), with limited studies in wild camelids. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Candidatus M. haemolamae in vicunas (Vicugna vicugna) from the Pampa Galeras National Reserve, located in the Ayacucho region of Peru, using molecular diagnosis. For this, blood samples from 79 vicunas were collected, which were molecularly analyzed by partially amplifying the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of Mycoplasma sp. Fourteen vicunas (17.7 %) were positive for the molecular diagnosis of Mycoplasma sp. All PCR-positive products were sequenced and showed more than 99 % identity with Candidatus M. haemolamae. Statistical analysis showed that tick-infested vicunas had 6.10 odds of presenting Candidatus M. haemolamae compared with tick-free vicunas. Sex and age were not associated with Candidatus M. haemolamae infections. This is the first report of hemoplasmas in vicunas, a wild South American camelid, demonstrating that the pathogen can have both a domestic and a wild life cycle. Future studies are necessary to know the current situation of this pathogen in domestic and wild camelids from other locations in Peru.