The helminth Echinococcus vogeliRausch & Bernstein, 1972 is a causative agent of Neotropical Echinococcosis, a chronic zoonotic disease which is endemic to the Neotropical region. This parasite is transmitted from bush dogs (Speothos venaticus) to their prey, which include lowland pacas (Cuniculus paca) and agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.). In Brazil, most human cases of Neotropical Echinococcosis have been recorded in the Amazonian states of Acre and Pará, although few data are available on the occurrence of the potential definitive or intermediate hosts of E. vogeli in the Amazon region. In the present study, we surveyed the forests surrounding 46 human communities located within and around of outside six sustainable-use protected areas in the southwestern Amazon basin of Brazil. The forests were surveyed using camera traps to determine the local presence of potential wild hosts of E. vogeli, and the exploitation of these hosts for game meat was evaluated through interviews with 136 subsistence hunters resident in the local communities. We recorded pacas, agoutis, and bush dogs, as well as domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), all potential reservoirs of Neotropical Echinococcosis, using the same habitats. We also confirmed the frequent consumption of paca and agouti meat by subsistence hunters and their families in the study communities. Our data contribute to the understanding of the occurrence of E. vogeli in Brazilian ecosystems.

The southern lapwing, Vanellus chilensis, is a bird frequently seen in most of Brazil. Although it is widely distributed in other Brazilian biomes, including some parts of the Brazilian Amazon, it has only been recorded in the western Amazonian state of Acre since 2000. We report the presence of intestinal parasites in individuals of V. chilensis from the Cazumbá-Iracema Extractive Reserve in Acre through a coproparasitological analysis. Seven of the nine sampled individuals were parasitized. We observed larvae of Strongyloides sp. (28.5% of the samples), and eggs of Ascaridia sp. (28.5%), Ancylostoma sp. (14.2%), and Choanotaenia sp. (42.8%). These parasites are reported for the first time parasitizing V. chilensis in Brazil. The parasitized birds may act as reservoirs and were recorded in a peridomicile area, which may facilitate their contact with domestic birds.