Diversity of haemogregarine parasites infecting Brazilian snakes from the Midwest and Southeast regions with a description of two new species of Hepatozoon (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae)

Úngari, Letícia Pereira; Netherlands, Edward C.; Santos, André Luíz Quagliatto; Alcântara, Edna Paulino de; Emmerich, Enzo; Silva, Reinaldo José da; O’Dwyer, Lúcia Helena

doi:10.1016/j.parint.2022.102587

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

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“…Furthermore, the authors describe the nucleus of this parasitic form as oval and here, according to our perception, it appears to be more squareshaped. However, these variations are very subtle and may be related to the number of parasites measured (this study: 30; Úngari et al (2022): 25), the tools used in both studies, the subjective effect of the observer performing the description, or due gamont plasticity in different host species (Perkins et al 2011, Paula et al 2021, Úngari et al 2022.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Hepatozoon Miller, 1908 parasites in the Colubridae snakes Clelia clelia (Daudin, 1803) and Drymarchon corais (Boie, 1827) from the Eastern Amazonia

PICELLI,

SILVA,

CORREA

et al. 2023

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

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Based on the genetic, morphological, and morphometric data of blood gamonts, we identified Hepatozoon parasites in colubrid snakes sampled in the Eastern Amazon region. Hepatozoon trigeminum was detected in the mussurana snake Clelia clelia and exhibited wide and elongated gamonts (mean dimensions: 14.25±0.65 × 4.31±0.43 μm) with an evident parasitophorous vacuole. Hepatozoon odwyerae sp. nov. was described in the indigo snake Drymarchon corais, whose gamonts have elongated and thin bodies (mean dimensions: 13.41±0.79 × 3.72±0.35 μm) with one end more tapered than the other. Phylogenetic analyses, based on the amplification of a 441 bp fragment of the 18S rRNA gene, revealed that the novel sequences of Hepatozoon spp. from our study were closely related to hemogregarine lineages found in lizards and snakes from Brazil, forming a well-supported monophyletic clade with them. The present study provides the first species description of Hepatoozon in D. corais and a new record of a host species for C. clelia using the integrated taxonomic data. We also highlight the importance of further investigations into the diversity of Hepatozoon in snakes, a rich but underestimated group of parasites, especially in the Amazonian biome.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%