SummaryDue to an inadequate knowledge about threats to the sea turtle, we aimed to evaluate the helminth fauna of Chelonia mydas which had died on the southern coast of Espirito Santo, Brasil and described the associated tissue pathological lesions. Retrospective and prospective studies on turtle parasites were conducted and tissues samples were collected. 106 of 212 of sea turtles (50 %) were parasitized, and 47 of 106 of infected animals 43.0 % (47/106) were in poor health condition. Seven trematoda families covering 19 different helminths species were identifi ed. Turtles were inhabited with one or more species of parasites, and there was no signifi cant association between parasitism and weakness of the animals. Trematode eggs, with or without giant cells in tissues of various organs were observed.

No abstract

Sixty-two fecal samples of capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) living in eight conservation units (CUs) across the state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, were assessed for the presence of eggs of liver flukes via sedimentation. Fasciola hepatica eggs were found in 37.1% (23/62) of the samples. Positive samples were found in six CUs (75%), three CUs located in the southern region of the state and three others in the metropolitan region of the capital city of Vitória. Identification of Fasciola hepatica eggs collected from capybara fecal samples were based on morphology, and confirmed using molecular methods. Our results suggest that capybaras may serve as a wild reservoir host for F. hepatica, possibly contributing to the epidemiology and geographic range expansion of this zoonotic parasite across its vast range of distribution in South America.

Ecologia da comunidade de helmintos gastrointestinais de tartarugas-verdes (Chelonia mydas) recolhidas no litoral do Espírito Santo 4,29 ± 2,19 (1-10) and the mean intensity of infection was 315,64 ± 281,83 (2-994)

Although some studies have identified parasites in green turtles (Chelonia mydas), little is known about the morphology of helminth eggs in the feces of these animals. The aim of this study was to morphologically characterize helminth eggs recovered in coproparasitological exams by sedimentation and to analyze their relationship with helminth species recovered during necropsy of juvenile specimens of C. mydas. Four different egg morphotypes were found, identified, and classified as digenetic trematodes of the families Microscaphidiidae, Cladorchiidae, and Spirorchiidae. There was morphological diversity in the size of the eggs measured directly in adult parasites, with sizes ranging from 19.07 to 99.28 μm in length and from 11.35 to 45.66 μm in width. The observation of eggs on coproparasitological exams is important for studying the ecology of sea turtle parasites, since the life cycle of some species is not yet fully understood.