Ciência 23(1):03-08,2013 Acanthocephalus ranae (ECHINORHYNCHIDAE) INFECTING icterica (BUFONIDAE) IN SANTA CATARINA,

(Infecção por Acanthocephalus ranae (ECHINORHYNCHIDAE) em Rhinella icterica (BUFONIDAE) em Santa Catarina, Brasil )

CélsoPILATI 1; Rosiléia Marinho de QUADROS 1,2 ; Kattyuce Armandina Arruda BRANCO 2; Márcia Adriane ANDRADE 2; Sandra Márcia Tietz MARQUES 3*

1. Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina,Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias, Lages, Santa Catarina, Brasil; 2. Universidade do Planalto Catarinense, Santa Catarina, Brasil; 3. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Faculdade de Veterinária.

RESUMO

O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar parasitos intestinais em sapo cururu – Rhinella icterica (Anura: Bufonidae) – na região urbana de Lages, estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Dezesseis espécimes de Rhinella icterica foram coletados de julho a outubro de 2010. Os sapos foram necropsiados e removidos os intestinos. Amostras de fezes foram coletadas e processadas por sedimentação espontânea e todo o intestino foi examinado. Todos os sapos apresentaram ovos nas fezes e a forma adulta de Acanthocephalus ranae foi detectada no intestino de 100% dos sapos. Este é o primeiro registro desta espécie no estado de Santa Catarina, região sul do Brasil. Palavras-chave: Acanthocephala, Rhinella icterica, Bufonidae, sapo brasileiro.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to identify intestinal parasites in the yellow cururu – Rhinella icterica (Anura: Bufonidae) – in the urban region of Lages, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Sixteen specimens of Rhinella icterica were collected from July to October 2010. The were necropsied for removal of the intestine. Stools were collected and processed by spontaneous sedimentation and the whole length of the intestine was examined. All of the toads presented eggs in their feces and the adult form of Acanthocephalus ranae was detected in the intestine of 100% of the toads. This is the first report of this species in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Keywords: Acanthocephala, Rhinella icterica, Bufonidae, Brazilian toad.

INTRODUCTION species first belonged to the genus Bufo , was then assigned to the genus Chaunus (Frost et Rhinella (R.) icterica (Spix, 1824)is al., 2006) and nowit belongs to the genus known in Brazil as cururu toad. It is widely Rhinella (Chaparro et al., 2007). There are distributed in the Brazilian Atlantic forest andin about 5,500 anurans in the world and Brazil northeasternArgentina and eastern Paraguay, harbors the highest richness in and the second the latter of which are located on the Brazilian largest diversity of anuran species (Mittermeier borders(Haddad et al.,2008; Frost, 2011). The et al., 1997) approximately 870 known species,

*Endereço paracorrespondência: [email protected]

3 of which 789 belong to the order Anura km 2, a population of 161,583 inhabitants, and (Anjos, 2011). 65 districts. The urban area is distributed over In Brazil, R. icterica is geographically 222.4 km 2. For the sake of this study, the distributed in more than one biome, being town was split into four quadrants, and the found in forest areas and also inthe open; following districts were randomly chosen for however, it can survive indeforestedareas the capture of toads: Guarujá, Jardim das andin fields (Haddad et al., 2008). It is Camélias, Popular and Triângulo. A total of common in anthropogenically disturbed areas 16 toads were captured – four from each due to the abundance of food resources and is district. The toads were captured manually occasionally found in urban environments and randomly from July to October 2010 (Silvano et al.,2009) such as brooks and still (Fig.1). waters, especially during the mating season. The toads were anesthetized Currently, it has disappeared owing to withthiopental sodium and euthanized by pollution and to the drainage of lagoons, spinal cordtrauma in compliance with the where it breeds. Of the 280 American Veterinary Medical Association speciesof the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, 253 (AVMA, 2007) guidelines. After the are endemic (Myers et al., 2000). euthanasia, the were necropsied for Information on the planet’s biological removal of the intestine. Fecal samples were diversity is scarceand Brazilian reptiles and collected from the intestinal contentsand are poorly known due to the submitted to parasitological testing using paucity of medium- and long-term studiesand spontaneous sedimentation (Foreyt, 2005). to thelack of surveys into the fauna of All of the fecal matter was removed and the different regions (Pombal & Gordo, 2004). parasites were collectedby intestinal lavage, To understand about preservation, it is sifted, and the sediment was placed onto glass necessary to know about diversity, ecology slides with saline and examined under a and systematics of organisms and ecosystems stereomicroscope for separation. Thereafter, (Anjos, 2011). Parasites represent the the helminths were fixed in alcohol-formalin- invisible diversity within biodiversity, and acetic acid (AFA) and stored in70% helminths that infect vertebrates arepoorly ethanol.The parasites were processed by known and often underestimated. The routine methods and identified according to inventory and description of parasites in these Yamaguti (1963).The helminths were placed speciesare importantto improve the in two collections, at the Laboratory of understanding of parasitism and its Parasitology of Universidade do Planalto relationship with the ecosystem (Poulin & Catarinense (UNIPLAC) and at the Morand, 2000; Anjos, 2011). Laboratory ofHelminth Infections of the The aim of this study is to assess the School of Veterinary Medicine of presence of helminths in cururu toad Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Rhinella icterica )in the urban region of (FAVET/UFRGS). This study was conducted Lages, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, with prior authorization from the Biodiversity andto contributetowards the inventory and Information System (SISBIO) of the description of parasite species. Brazilian Environmental Agency (IBAMA) for collection and transportation, under MATERIAL AND METHODS protocol number 25844-1. Lages is a town located in the plateau region of the state of Santa Catarina, in RESULTS AND DISCUSSION southern Brazil (27 o48 ’S, 50 o20 ‘W, altitude: 916 m), with a territorial extension of 2,651.4

Ciência Animal 23(1):03-08,2013 4 The parasitological test by have sought to shed some light on the causes sedimentation revealed acanthocephalan eggs forthe reduction of amphibian populationsand in all toads (Fig.2). Most anurans had low for species extinction, but the focus of such gastrointestinal contents. The small intestine studiesis on the southeastern region (Heyer et of all toads was infected by parasites, al., 1988; Izecksohn & Carvalho-E-Silva, identified as Acanthocephalus ranae (Fig. 3) 2001). Rhinella icterica is tolerant of with an intermediate intensity of 25 disturbed environments; its reproduction acanthocephalansper anuran. occurs in the open; and its eggs are deposited Spontaneous sedimentation results in gelatinous strings that stick to the fully matchedthose of intestinal content underwater vegetation (Izecksohn & analysis, showing that 100% of the toads Carvalho-E-Silva, 2001). were infected by Acanthocephalus ranae . Helminth populations are higher According to Luque et al. (2005), during the time amphibiansspend in the nematodes are the major parasites found in R. water, that is, in larval stages and in the icterica . This study demonstrated that 100% breeding season. During this period, anurans of the anurans were infected by are exposed to acanthocephalans and other acanthocephalans, which is not in line with helminths typically transmitted by the the report of Martins (2004), who identified ingestion of aquatic invertebrates. During the 15 helminth species. However, no sample terrestrial life cycle, these hosts are exposed was positive for acanthocephans. In addition, to infection by the penetration of larvae into the report of Smales (2007) showed low the skin and/or by the ingestion of eggs, but acanthocephalan infection rates and also eating habits (27 food items) also play an revealed that the identification did not important role, increasing the possibility of correspond to A. ranae . In the state of Santa infectionby a large number of parasites Catarina, Acanthocephalus sp. was found to (Pinhão et al., 2009). infect Chaunus schneideri and Chaunus Rhinella icterica is the biggest ictericus , with prevalence rates of 26.19% amphibian in the state of Santa Catarina. It is and 43,10%, respectively, in the town of Três also one of the best known species among the Barras (26º06'23" Sand 50º19'20" W) (Lux population as they are easily recognized Hoppe et al., 2008). Pinhão et al. (2009) anddo not haveelusive habits; for instance, investigated the helminth population of R. they tend to get close topeople’s homes to icterica collected in Botucatu, a town in the search for food as house and street lamps lure southeastern state of São Paulo, and observed a considerable amount of insects. 100% of parasitic infection, with the The frequency and persistence of identification of five helminth species, four parasitic infection depend ondifferent nematode species and one acanthocephalan variables. The contact rate between potential species, identified as A. saopaulensis . hosts and infectious stages is related tothe While the number of amphibians has number of adult parasites, to the number of declined worldwide since 1980, relatively infected hosts, to the maintenance of little is known about their populations in infectious stages and to the abundance of South American countries. Loss of habitat intermediate hosts, factors that are directly and fragmentation are the biggest threats to and indirectly determined by environmental amphibian populations, and anthropogenic conditions. actions, such as more intensive agriculture With respect to anurans, we lack and urbanization, have had a negative impact studies on parasite infra community structure on the diversity and abundance of species that relate their richness to their habitat, (Silva et al., 2009). In Brazil, several studies eating habits, length of the species,

Ciência Animal 23(1):03-08,2013 5 physiology, and vagility of hosts , and on the habitatshared with sympatric populations, possible relationships between the speciesthat whether the presence of A. ranae had already make up the parasite communities (Martins been observed inpreceding populationsor 2004). whether ther e was some association withwater, social structure and the available CONCLUSIONS diet at the different collection sites . The paucity of literature data highlights the The present study is the first report o f importance ofcarrying out further studies the predominant infection of R. icterica by A. andgathering more information about parasite ranae in the urban area of Lages, state of communitiesamo ng Brazilian anuran Santa Catarina. I t is not known whether amphibians. helminth infection was acquired by the

Figure 1- Map of Lages city, showing four districts, Guarujá, Jardim das Camélias, Popular and Triângulo.

Figure 2 - Figure 3 - Acanthocephalusranae egg in Rhinellaicterica identified by Acanthocephalusranae adults

sedimentation (40X)

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