Hepatozoon parasites comprise intracellular apicomplexan parasites transmitted to vertebrate animals by ingestion of arthropods definitive hosts. The present work aimed to investigate the occurrence of Hepatozoon spp. in wild animals, domestic dogs and their respective ectoparasites, in southern Pantanal region, central-western Brazil, by molecular techniques. Between August 2013 and March 2015, 31 coatis (Nasua nasua), 78 crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), seven ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), 42 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), 110 wild rodents (77 Thichomys fosteri, 25 Oecomys mamorae, and 8 Clyomys laticeps), 30 marsupials (14 Thylamys macrurus, 11 Gracilinanus agilis, 4 Monodelphis domestica and 1 Didelphis albiventris), and 1582 ticks and 80 fleas collected from the sampled animals were investigated. DNA samples were submitted to PCR assays for Hepatozoon spp. targeting 18S rRNA gene. Purified amplicons were directly sequenced and submitted to phylogenetic analysis. A high prevalence of Hepatozoon among carnivores (C. thous [91.02%], dogs [45.23%], N. nasua [41.9%] and L. pardalis [71.4%]) was found. However, ticks and fleas were negative to Hepatozoon PCR assays. By phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA sequences, Hepatozoon sequences amplified from crab-eating foxes, dogs, coatis and ocelots clustered with sequences of H. canis, H. americanum and H. felis. The closely related positioning of Hepatozoon sequences amplified from wild rodents and T. macrurus marsupial to Hepatozoon from reptiles and amphibians suggest a possible transmission of those Hepatozoon species between hosts by ectoparasites or by predation. Hepatozoon haplotypes found circulating in wild rodents seem to present a higher degree of polymorphism when compared to those found in other groups of animals. Although rodents seem not to participate as source of Hepatozoon infection to wild carnivores and domestic dogs, they may play an important role in the transmission of Hepatozoon to reptiles and amphibians in Pantanal biome.

Piroplasmoses are one of the most prevalent arthropod-borne diseases of animals. The present work aimed to investigate the occurrence of piroplasmid in wild mammals, domestic dogs and ectoparasites in southern Pantanal region, central-western Brazil. For that purpose, blood or tissue samples from 31 Nasua nasua, 78 Cerdocyon thous, 7 Leopardus pardalis, 42 dogs, 110 wild rodents, and 30 marsupials, and 1582 ticks were submitted to PCR assays for piroplasmid targeting 18SrRNA and hps70 genes. Seven dogs, one C. thous, five L. pardalis, three N. nasua, six wild rodents, eight Amblyomma parvum, two Amblyomma sculptum and one Amblyomma ovale were positive for piroplasmid-PCR assays. Genotypes closely related to Babesia vogeli were detected in six dogs and five wild rodents. While genotypes closely related to Babesia caballi were detected in one C. thous, one dog, one A. ovale and one A. sculptum, genotypes closely related to Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis were detected in four A. parvum ticks. Four sequences obtained from A. parvum, three coatis and one wild rodent were closely related to Theileria equi. Cytauxzoon spp. was detected in four ocelots. The present study revealed that wild and domestic animals in Brazilian southern Pantanal are exposed to different piroplasmid species.

Conception and design of the study; acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data; manuscript preparation.