Occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in mammals at a zoo in southern Brazil

• Autores: R. Ludwig, S. M. T. Marques
• Localización: Revista Ibero-latinoamericana de parasitología, ISSN 0718-8730, Vol. 70, Nº. 1, 2011, págs. 122-128
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in captive wild mammals at the zoo of the Zoobotanical Foundation of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A total of 41 species from 46 enclosures were studied. Ninety-two fecal samples were collected from a pool of 208 mammals and analyzed using a modifi ed Ziehl-Neelsen�s acid fast method. The analysis of double samples (92) revealed that Alouatta caraya, Aotus nigriceps, Ateles chamek, Puma concolor, Coendou prehensilis, Dama dama, Cervus unicolor, Kobus ellipsiprymnus and Myrmecophaga tridactyla shed Cryptosporidium spp oocysts. The overall occurrence of crypstosporidial infection amounted to 19.56%. The morphometric analysis of oocysts showed short and subspherical oocysts measuring, on average, 5.7 µm X 4.9 µm, with a shape index of 1.16. This is the fi rst report of Cryptosporidium spp. in A. caraya, A. chamek, D. dama, C. unicolor and K. ellipsiprymnus in Brazil, and the fi rst report of cryptosporidiosis in A. nigriceps, C. prehensilis and M. tridactyla in the world.