Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts and Giardia spp. cysts in coatis (Nasua nasua L. 1766) from Pará, Brazil

Abstract

Zoonotic enteroparasitosis represent an important public health problem, and species of protozoa such as Cryptosporidiumspp. and Giardiaspp. can reach high frequencies in regions where basic sanitation conditions are poor, which promotes outbreaks of diarrhea in humans and domestic and wild animals. Wild mammals such as the South American coati (Nasua nasua) feed on insects present in thesoil, fruits, and small vertebrates, and are susceptible to contamination by enteroparasites present in the environmental niche. The aimof the present studywastoinvestigate the occurrence of Cryptosporidiumspp. and Giardiaspp. in N. nasuafrom a region in the Brazilian Amazon. Fecal samples of 27 coatistwo from free-living and 25 from captivitywere collected in three different municipalities in the state of Pará, Brazil. The search for Giardiaspp. and Cryptosporidiumspp. in the collected samples were performed using the direct and Kinyoun methods, respectively, and a commercial immunological test (RIDA®QUICK Cryptosporidium/GiardiaCombi. ®R-Biopharm) was used to detect antigens from both parasites. Cryptosporidiumspp. oocysts were found in 11.1% (3/27) of the samples; one from a free-living animal and two from captive animals. Giardiaspp. cysts were found in 11.1% (3/27) of the samples, all from captive animals. This is the first report of infection by these protozoans in this coati's species in the North region of Brazil; the South American coati may be participating as maintainers and disseminators of infectious agents to the environment and other hosts.