1. The white-nosed coati (Nasua narica) is a naturally susceptible definitive host for the zoonotic nematode Angiostrongylus costaricensis in Costa Rica.
- Author
-
Santoro, Mario, Alfaro-Alarcón, Alejandro, Veneziano, Vincenzo, Cerrone, Anna, Latrofa, Maria Stefania, Otranto, Domenico, Hagnauer, Isabel, Jiménez, Mauricio, and Galiero, Giorgio
- Subjects
- *
ANGIOSTRONGYLUS cantonensis , *NASUA narica , *RACCOON , *EPIDEMIOLOGY , *DIAGNOSIS - Abstract
Angiostrongylus costaricensis (Strongylida, Angiostrongylidae) is a roundworm of rodents, which may cause a severe or fatal zoonosis in several countries of the Americas. A single report indicated that the white-nosed coati ( Nasua narica ), acts as a potential free-ranging wildlife reservoir. Here we investigated the prevalence and features of A. costaricensis infection in two procyonid species, the white-nosed coati and the raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) from Costa Rica to better understand their possible role in the epidemiology of this zoonotic infection. Eighteen of 32 (56.2%) white-nosed coatis collected between July 2010 and March 2016 were infected with A. costaricensis but none of 97 raccoons from the same localities were diagnosed with this infection. First-stage larvae of A. costaricensis were obtained from feces of 17 fresh white-nosed coati carcasses by Baermann technique. Parasite identity was confirmed by morphology, histology and molecular characterization of target genes. These data demonstrate that the white-nosed coati is a naturally susceptible definitive host for A. costaricensis in Costa Rica contrary to findings in the raccoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF