RESUMO
Trypanosoma caninum is a parasite of the Trypanosoma genus recently described in the natural infection of dogs in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Suspecting the existence of a natural cycle and the circulation of this new species, the objective of this study was the taxonomic identification of samples of Trypanosoma spp. isolated from dogs in different Brazilian regions. Parasites were solely obtained from skin fragments culture and characterized by nested-PCR targeting the partial sequence of 18S rRNA gene and PCR products were sequenced. Thirty-three samples, obtained in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso and Rio de Janeiro states were analyzed. PCR and sequencing showed that the isolates were genetically identical or closely similar and confirmed T. caninum identity. This report broadens the geographical distribution of T. caninum in Brazil and discusses the impact of the presence of this parasite in areas of canine leishmaniasis occurrence.
Assuntos
Doença de Chagas/veterinária , Doenças do Cão/epidemiologia , Leishmania infantum/isolamento & purificação , Leishmaniose/veterinária , RNA Ribossômico 18S/isolamento & purificação , Trypanosoma/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Doença de Chagas/epidemiologia , Doença de Chagas/prevenção & controle , Controle de Doenças Transmissíveis , Doenças do Cão/prevenção & controle , Cães , Doenças Endêmicas/veterinária , Eutanásia Animal , Humanos , Leishmania infantum/genética , Leishmaniose/epidemiologia , Leishmaniose/prevenção & controle , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Trypanosoma/genéticaRESUMO
The objective of this study was to evaluate intact skin of seroreactive dogs as a possible target for the parasitological confirmation of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). For this purpose, 394 dogs identified in serological surveys carried out in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte were studied. Blood was collected from all animals for serology and a tissue sample was obtained from two sites for parasitological diagnosis. Skin obtained from the ear and scapular region was simultaneously analyzed in 247 animals and lesion samples and ear skin were analyzed in 147 dogs. Leishmania parasites were isolated from 310 (78.7%) animals, and all isolates were identified as Leishmania chagasi. Simultaneous isolation from two sites was possible in 240 of the 310 animals, including ear and scapular skin in 151/247 (61.1%) and ear skin and skin lesions in 89/147 (60.5%). Ours results suggest that intact skin is one of the main target sites for the parasitological confirmation of CVL in seroreactive dogs.