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Hammondia sp. oocysts shed by a Brazilian fox (Lycalopex vetulus) differ from Hammondia heydorni and Hammondia triffittae

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Abstract

A Brazilian fox (Lycalopex vetulus) was rescued from a highway, and 16 days after maintained in captivity, the fox shed oocysts with sizes compatible with Hammondia sp. and Neospora caninum. DNA extracted from oocysts were initially tested in two PCRs targeting the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) of the rDNA of Hammondia heydorni and the Nc-5 gene of N. caninum. A 270-bp product was visualized in the PCR for H. heydorni. No amplification was observed for N. caninum PCR. Since ITS-1-based PCR is not sufficient to differentiate Hammondia species derived from canids, oocyst DNA was examined using multilocus sequence analysis of five genetic fragments [intron 1 of the alpha tubulin gene (intron 1), internal transcribed spaces 1 and 2 (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of the rDNA, 28S rRNA gene (D2/D3 domain), and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70)]. The Hammondia sp. oocyst from the Brazilian fox, referred here as H-FOXBR isolate, is closely related to H. heydorni and Hammondia triffittae, but differs from these parasites in three genetic markers (alpha tubulin gene, ITS-2, and 28S rRNA). As reported by other research groups, Hammondia spp. excreted by canids are genetically diverse and may encompass additional species besides H. heydorni and H. triffittae. In this study, we confirmed that H-FOXBR has significant genetic differences in comparison to H. heydorni and H. triffittae and may represent a separate species. Further studies are needed to identify the life cycle of this parasite and to characterize the parasite stages in the intermediate and definitive hosts.

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Funding

This work was partially funded by CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/number: 308795/2015-6), Brazil. Luís Gondim and Rodrigo Soares are recipients of productivity fellowships from CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Anatomia, Patologia e Clínicas, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Avenida Adhemar de Barros, 500, Ondina, Salvador, Bahia, 40170-110, Brazil

    Luís F. P. Gondim

  2. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal (VPS), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87 – Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP, 05508 270, Brazil

    Rodrigo M. Soares

  3. Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor Palotina, R. Pioneiros, 2153, Jardim Dallas, Palotina, PR, 85950-000, Brazil

    Silvia C. Osaki, Laura R. Grillo, Nelson L. M. Fernandes & Anderson L. de Carvalho

  4. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Tecnologia, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Lages, SC, Brazil

    Alessandra Snak

Authors
  1. Luís F. P. Gondim
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  2. Rodrigo M. Soares
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  3. Silvia C. Osaki
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  4. Alessandra Snak
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  5. Laura R. Grillo
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  6. Nelson L. M. Fernandes
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  7. Anderson L. de Carvalho
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Correspondence to Luís F. P. Gondim.

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Gondim, L.F.P., Soares, R.M., Osaki, S.C. et al. Hammondia sp. oocysts shed by a Brazilian fox (Lycalopex vetulus) differ from Hammondia heydorni and Hammondia triffittae. Parasitol Res 117, 2299–2304 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5920-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5920-9

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