The role of sloths and anteaters as Leishmania spp. reservoirs: a review and a newly described natural infection of Leishmania mexicana in the northern anteater

Muñoz-García, Claudia I.; Sánchez‐Montes, Sokani; Villanueva-García, Claudia; Romero-Callejas, Evangelina; López, Hilda María Díaz; Gordillo-Chávez, Elías José; Martínez‐Carrasco, Carlos; Berriatua, E.; Rendón-Franco, Emilio

doi:10.1007/s00436-019-06253-6

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…phleboviruses, flaviviruses, encephalitis viruses, and orthobunyaviruses) (Seymour, Peralta & Montgomery, 1983 ; Gilmore et al ., 2001 ; Medlin et al ., 2016 ; de Oliveira Filho et al ., 2020 ) and insect‐borne protozoans (e.g. trypanosomes, such as Leishmania ) (Shaw, 1985 ; Gilmore et al ., 2001 ; Muñoz‐García et al ., 2019 ). These pathogens may be transmitted by (free‐living or epibiotic) arthropod bites to blood but may also be found on the skin or within sloth fur.…”

Section: Components Of the Mobile Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the move: sloths and their epibionts as model mobile ecosystems

Kaup

Trull²,

Hom

2021

Biological Reviews

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Sloths are unusual mobile ecosystems, containing a high diversity of epibionts living and growing in their fur as they climb slowly through the canopies of tropical forests. These epibionts include poorly studied algae, arthropods, fungi, and bacteria, making sloths likely reservoirs of unexplored biodiversity. This review aims to identify gaps and eliminate misconceptions in our knowledge of sloths and their epibionts, and to identify key questions to stimulate future research into the functions and roles of sloths within a broader ecological and evolutionary context. This review also seeks to position the sloth fur ecosystem as a model for addressing fundamental questions in metacommunity and movement ecology. The conceptual and evidence-based foundation of this review aims to serve as a guide for future hypothesis-driven research into sloths, their microbiota, sloth health and conservation, and the coevolution of symbioses in general.

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Section: Components Of the Mobile Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the move: sloths and their epibionts as model mobile ecosystems

Kaup

Trull²,

Hom

2021

Biological Reviews

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“…Both have recognized roles as Leishmania spp. reservoirs ( Roque and Jansen 2014 , Muñoz-García et al 2019 ), with particular ecological associations with other phlebotomines of the genus Nyssomyia . Anteaters spend much of their time climbing up and down trees in search of termite nests and therefore, come into intimate contact with tree trunks inhabiting phlebotomines, such as Nyssomyia umbratilis and Nyssomyia whitmani ( Lainson et al 1981 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood Feeding Sources of Nyssomyia antunesi (Diptera: Psychodidae): A Suspected Vector of Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in the Brazilian Amazon

Pimentel

Uzcátegui

Lima

et al. 2022

Journal of Medical Entomology

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Present work aimed to identify blood feeding sources and attempt to detect Leishmania DNA in Nyssomyia antunesi, suspected vector of Leishmania sp., from a park in the urban center of Belém, the capital of Pará State, in the Brazilian Amazon. Entire bodies and gut contents of Ny. antunesi engorged females, previously captured in the urban park with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps and aspiration on tree bases, were subjected to Leishmania and vertebrate DNA detection through amplification of the Leishmania mini-exon and vertebrate cytochrome b (cyt b) gene regions, respectively. The quality of DNA extraction from entire bodies was ensured through amplification of the dipteran cyt b region. The vertebrate cyt b amplicons were sequenced and compared with those available on GenBank. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed to assess the clustering patterns of these sequences. Leishmania DNA was not detected. The sequences of 13 vertebrate cyt b amplicons were considered informative, exhibiting similarity and clustering with the following six vertebrate species: Dasyprocta leporina (1), Cuniculus paca (1), Tamandua tetradactyla (4), Choloepus didactylus (4), Pteroglossus aracari aracari (2), Homo sapiens (1). The samples of D. leporina and C. paca were obtained from the CDC canopy, whereas the others were by aspiration from tree bases. The present results revealed the eclectic and opportunist blood-feeding behavior of Ny. antunesi, with birds and mammals, these last ones acting as potential reservoirs for Leishmania species, distributed throughout the vertical forest strata.

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“…Oryzomis) melanotis, Ototylomis phyllotis, Peromyscus yucatanicus and Sigmodon hispidus being the species with the higher levels of infection (100% in at least one study), which may indicate their role as reservoirs of the disease [33,58,[71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78]. Within the order Didelphimorphia, the Mexican mouse opossum (Marmosa mexicana) [71] and the northern anteater [79] were found to be infected in Mexico employing PCR.…”

Section: Wild Animals Infected With Leishmania Mexicanamentioning

confidence: 98%

“…When other organs were investigated, such as liver, spleen, kidney or heart, they were also infected, but at lower percentages (11-66.7%) [72]. Heart, liver, spleen and skin were also employed to find infections in Chiroptera [70], while lymph nodes, lung, spleen, liver and kidney tissues were used in the northern anteater, with DNA detection by PCR only in spleen [79].…”

Section: Wild Animals Infected With Leishmania Mexicanamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review (1990–2021) of Wild Animals Infected with Zoonotic Leishmania

2021

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Leishmaniasis are neglected diseases caused by several species of Leishmania that affect humans and many domestic and wild animals with a worldwide distribution. The objectives of this review are to identify wild animals naturally infected with zoonotic Leishmania species as well as the organs infected, methods employed for detection and percentage of infection. A literature search starting from 1990 was performed following the PRISMA methodology and 161 reports were included. One hundred and eighty-nine species from ten orders (i.e., Carnivora, Chiroptera, Cingulata, Didelphimorphia, Diprotodontia, Lagomorpha, Eulipotyphla, Pilosa, Primates and Rodentia) were reported to be infected, and a few animals were classified only at the genus level. An exhaustive list of species; diagnostic techniques, including PCR targets; infected organs; number of animals explored and percentage of positives are presented. L. infantum infection was described in 98 wild species and L. (Viania) spp. in 52 wild animals, while L. mexicana, L. amazonensis, L. major and L. tropica were described in fewer than 32 animals each. During the last decade, intense research revealed new hosts within Chiroptera and Lagomorpha. Carnivores and rodents were the most relevant hosts for L. infantum and L. (Viannia) spp., with some species showing lesions, although in most of the studies clinical signs were not reported.

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The role of sloths and anteaters as Leishmania spp. reservoirs: a review and a newly described natural infection of Leishmania mexicana in the northern anteater

Cited by 13 publications

References 36 publications

On the move: sloths and their epibionts as model mobile ecosystems

On the move: sloths and their epibionts as model mobile ecosystems

Blood Feeding Sources of Nyssomyia antunesi (Diptera: Psychodidae): A Suspected Vector of Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in the Brazilian Amazon

A Systematic Review (1990–2021) of Wild Animals Infected with Zoonotic Leishmania

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