Visceral Leishmaniasis in a Captive Crab-Eating Fox Cerdocyon thous

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution. The crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) is considered a wild reservoir of many zoonotical diseases, particularly VL. This study reported the presence of Leishmania infantum amastigotes in different organs of one captive C....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine 2011-12, Vol.42 (4), p.608-616
Main Authors: da Silva Tenório, Michely, de Oliveira e Sousa, Lucio, Paixão, Mírian dos Santos, Alves, Maria Fernanda, de Cássia Paulan, Silvana, Lima, Flavia Luna, Jusi, Márcia Mariza Gomes, Tasca, Karen Ingrid, Machado, Rosangela Zacarias, Starke-Buzetti, Wilma Aparecida
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amastigotes
Animals
Animals, Zoo
Cerdocyon thous
crab-eating fox
Fatal Outcome
Female
Foot - pathology
Foxes
Hepatomegaly - etiology
Hepatomegaly - pathology
Hepatomegaly - veterinary
Leishmania infantum
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - complications
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - pathology
Leishmaniasis, Visceral - veterinary
Lip - pathology
Lymph nodes
Macrophages
Mouth - pathology
Neutrophils
Parasites
Parasitism
Skin
Splenomegaly - etiology
Splenomegaly - pathology
Splenomegaly - veterinary
Visceral leishmaniasis
Zoos
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Summary:Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution. The crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) is considered a wild reservoir of many zoonotical diseases, particularly VL. This study reported the presence of Leishmania infantum amastigotes in different organs of one captive C. thous found dead in a zoo. This animal was positive by the indirect fluorescence antibody test and had many clinical signs of VL. Intracellular amastigote forms of L. infantum were seen in neutrophils and macrophages in sample tissues from skin, lymph nodes (popliteal, submandibular, prescapular, and mesenteric), spleen, and liver. The numbers of positive cells and intracellular parasites were higher in macrophages than in neutrophils. In addition, polymerase chain reaction demonstrated extensive distribution of Leishmania DNA in C. thous tissues from multiple organs. The presence of intracellular amastigotes in neutrophils and macrophages as well as DNA of the parasite in tissues, specifically skin demonstrate that this crab-eating fox is an adequate host for L. infantum and reinforce the importance of VL for symptomatic wild canids kept in captivity in endemic areas.
ISSN:1042-7260
1937-2825
DOI:10.1638/2010-0245.1