Zoonotic parasites infecting free-living armadillos from Brazil

Armadillos are specialist diggers and their burrows are used to find food, seek shelter and protect their pups. These burrows can also be shared with dozens of vertebrate and invertebrate species and; consequently, their parasites including the zoonotics. The aim of this study was to diagnose the presence of zoonotic parasites in four wild-caught armadillo species from two different Brazilian ecosystems, the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) and the Pantanal (wetland). The investigated parasites and their correspondent diseases were:Toxoplasma gondii(toxoplasmosis),Trypanosoma cruzi(Chagas disease),Leishmaniaspp., (leishmaniasis),Paracoccidioides brasiliensis(Paracoccidioidomicosis) andMycobacterium leprae(Hansen's disease). Forty-three free-living armadillos from Pantanal and seven road-killed armadillos from the Cerrado were sampled.Trypanosoma cruziDTU TcIII were isolated from 2 out of 43 (4.65%) armadillos, including one of them also infected withTrypanosoma rangeli. Antibodies anti-T. gondiiwere detected in 13 out of 43 (30.2%) armadillos. All seven armadillos from Cerrado tested positive forP. brasiliensisDNA, in the lungs, spleen, liver fragments. Also, by molecular analysis, all 43 individuals were negative forM. lepraeandLeishmaniaspp. Armadillos were infected byT. cruzi,T. rangeli, P. brasiliensisand presented seric antibodies toT. gondii,highlighting the importance of those armadillos could have in the epidemiology of zoonotic parasites.

Automated summary

Zoonotic parasites including Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis were detected in wild-caught armadillos from two different Brazilian ecosystems. The presence of these parasites in armadillos highlights their role in the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases.