Occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in Spheniscus magellanicus (Foster, 1781) located in Pontal do Sul, PR, Brazil

Abstract

Gastrointestinal parasitism is the main health problem faced by Spheniscus magellanicus, known as Magellanic penguins, in route on the Brazilian coast. The aim of this research was to report the occurrence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites in S. magellanicus that reached Pontal do Sul, Paraná, South of Brazil. The study was performed at the Marine Study Center of the Federal University of Parana (CEM-UFPR) with 38 specimens, 31 were necropsied and seven were examined alive with coproparasitological exams. From the necropsied animals, 93.5% (29/31) were parasitized with at least one parasite species. Contracaecum pelagicum was the most prevalent 93,5% (29/31) parasite, followed by Cardiocephaloides physalis (64.5%) and Tetrabothrius lutzi (51.6%). Only one animal was free of parasites and the most infected bird had 1.076 parasites with an average of 194 worms. Willis-Mollay method revealed that 57.1% (4/7) had C. pelagicum eggs. In conclusion, the high rate of gastrointestinal parasites in S. magellanicus confirms the clinical exams, when animals had poor health conditions when they were found in the cost of Paraná. This study provides data to enrich the literature regarding the helminth fauna of the Magellanic penguins, assisting sanitary control programs in Rehabilitation Centers for Marine Animals.

An overview of seabirds in the Santos Basin, Brazil: species, threats, and current trends in studies

“…Michels-Souza et al, 2010;Moura et al, 2018), contamination by petroleum (e.g. Barbieri, 2009;Michels-Souza et al, 2010), and impacts to animal health (Niemeyer, 2014;Ebert et al, 2016;Fink et al, 2018;Vanhoni et al, 2018;Martini et al, 2022). However, studies on the spatial distribution of seabirds along the Santos Basin are scarce, be they from at-sea counts or tracking data, and are restricted to few species and to the neritic region (< 20 m depth).…”

Microbiological analysis of Magellanic Penguins found in coastal regions of Northern Santa Catarina

“…There are currently 18 species of penguins registered, with the Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) being the most commonly found in temperate regions. They are found in the Falkland Islands and in regions of Argentina and Chile that comprise the Patagonian Desert, mainly during their breeding period between September and March (VANHONI et al, 2018).…”

“…Studies in Rio Grande do Sul have found 19500 carcasses in the coastal regions of the state in just one year, with 97% of them being young animals. These alarming data show that the population of Magellanic penguins has been drastically declining annually (VANHONI et al, 2018).…”

“…These teams rescue stranded animals from coastal areas and send them to the rehabilitation center where they are treated and may have three possible outcomes. One is that the patient does not respond to treatment and dies, the second is that the patient responds to treatment but remains unfit to release, so it is kept in captivity for environmental education and species conservation, the third, and the most desirable outcome, is that the treatment is effective for the penguin and it can be reintroduced into the ocean without further debilitation (GEEVERGHESE, 2013;VANHONI, 2018).…”