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(Testudines: Podocnemididae) from the Brazilian Amazon Prevalência E Parasitemia De Haemogregarina Sp

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(Testudines: Podocnemididae) from the Brazilian Amazon Prevalência E Parasitemia De Haemogregarina Sp Original Article Braz. J. Vet. Parasitol., Jaboticabal, v. 24, n. 2, p. 191-197, abr.-jun. 2015 ISSN 0103-846X (Print) / ISSN 1984-2961 (Electronic) Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1984-29612015033 Prevalence and parasitemia of Haemogregarina sp. in Podocnemis expansa (Testudines: Podocnemididae) from the Brazilian Amazon Prevalência e parasitemia de Haemogregarina sp. em Podocnemis expansa (Testudines: Podocnemididae) da Amazônia Brasileira Amanda Maria Picelli1; Aluísio Vasconcelos de Carvalho1; Lúcio André Viana2*; Adriana Malvasio3 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências do Ambiente, Universidade Federal do Tocantins – UFT, Palmas, TO, Brasil 2 Laboratório de Parasitologia Veterinária, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul – UFMS, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil 3 Laboratório de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Tocantins – UFT, Palmas, TO, Brasil Received January 31, 2015 Accepted March 31, 2015 Abstract Seventy-five turtles Podocnemis expansa in the Brazilian Amazon were examined for the presence of ectoparasites and hemoparasites. Samplings were performed in three study areas in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. Twenty-five specimens were sampled per study area (a commercial breeding facility, an indigenous subsistence breeding facility and a wild population of the Javaés River). Hemoparasites of the genus Haemogregarina were found in 66% (50/75) of the turtle specimens, and the infections were restricted to the commercial breeding facility and to the wild population of the Javaés River. The mean level of parasitemia was 54/2,000 erythrocytes (2%). There was no correlation between the body condition index of the chelonians and the level of parasitemia, with no significant difference between genders. No leeches were observed during the physical exams in any of the study areas, but the specimens from the commercial breeding facility were in poor physical condition with shell deformities and the presence of a relatively high amount of skin ulcerations, most likely caused by fungi and bacteria. This was the first study to record the occurrence of hemogregarines on a population scale in P. expansa and helps to increase knowledge about hemoparasites in chelonians in Brazil. Keywords: Podocnemis expansa, prevalence, Haemogregarina, freshwater turtle. Resumo Setenta e cinco tartarugas Podocnemis expansa foram examinadas para a presença de ectoparasitos e hemoparasitos na região amazônica brasileira. As coletas foram realizadas no Estado do Tocantins, Brasil. No estudo foram amostrados 25 indivíduos por local, um criatório comercial, um criatório de subsistência indígena e uma população silvestre do rio Javaés. Foram encontrados hemoparasitos pertencentes ao gênero Haemogregarina em 66% (50/75) dos animais, sendo que as infecções foram restritas ao criatório comercial e a população silvestre do rio Javaés. A parasitemia média foi de 54/2.000 eritrócitos (2%). Não houve relação entre o índice de condição corporal dos quelônios e os níveis de parasitemia e nem diferença quanto ao sexo dos animais. Não foram observadas sanguessugas durante os exames físicos, porém os animais do criatório comercial apresentaram condições físicas ruins com deformidades no casco e presença de uma quantidade relativamente alta de ulcerações na pele, provavelmente causadas por fungos ou bactérias. Este estudo registrou a primeira ocorrência de hemogregarinas em uma escala populacional de P. expansa e contribui para expandir o conhecimento de hemoparasitos em quelônios no Brasil. Palavras-chaves: Podocnemis expansa, prevalência, Haemogregarina, tartaruga de água doce. *Corresponding author: Lúcio André Viana. Laboratório de Parasitologia Veterinária, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Cidade Universitária, CP 549, CEP 79070-900, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil. e-mail: [email protected] www.cbpv.org.br/rbpv 192 Picelli, A.M. et al. Braz. J. Vet. Parasitol. Introduction Northern Brazil (MUNDIM et al., 1994). In the current study, we assessed the prevalence and parasitemia of hemoparasites in Among the 35 chelonian species that occur in the Brazilian wild P. expansa and in specimens kept in two captive facilities in territory, Podocnemis expansa is the largest of the side-neck the state of Tocantins, Brazil. turtles, reaching a shell length up to 70 cm and a weight of 25 kg (VOGT, 2008). In Brazil, this freshwater turtle occurs in the Amazon Material and Methods Basin and Araguaia/Tocantins Basin and is popularly known as the Amazonian turtle (RUEDA-ALMONACID et al., 2007; VOGT, 2008). Podocnemis expansa has been a food resource for Study area humans for a long time, and keeping this species in captivity as a meat source for subsistence and trade is an ancient practice The study was performed from October to December among populations living along the rivers of the Amazon region 2013 in three areas located in the Araguaia River Basin, state (REBÊLO & PEZZUTI, 2000). However, little is known about of Tocantins, Brazil (Figure 1). As the three study sites have the appropriate management of P. expansa in captivity, and it is different management processes to P. expansa are expected different likely that the confinement of several animals may facilitate the parasitism levels. The first study area was located in the Javaés River dissemination and persistence of parasitism (TELFORD, 1971). (9º53’22.20”S, 50º8’55.70”W), municipality of Pium, near the Hemoparasites of the Apicomplexa phylum, especially the Araguaia National Park and north of Bananal Island. The area consists hemogregarines (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina), are frequently found in of preserved vegetation formed by typical fragments of Amazon reptiles (TELFORD, 2009). Parasites of the genus Haemogregarina forest and Cerrado (tropical savannah) vegetation. The second are common in aquatic chelonians and have been recorded in several study area was a commercial breeding facility of P. expansa at countries (TELFORD, 2009). These parasites are heteroxenic, and the Praia Alta Ranch (10º44’05.33”S, 49º51’28.92”W), located their transmission to aquatic chelonians is associated with leeches in the municipality of Lagoa da Confusão, at the banks of the (DAVIES & JOHNSTON, 2000; SIDDALL & DESSER, 1992). Formoso River. This facility holds approximately 30,000 animals There are only two reports in the literature of the occurrence distributed in four tanks for growth and fattening. The third of hemogregarines in P. expansa: one report in the Peruvian study area was a breeding facility in the Xambioá Indigenous Amazon (PINEDA-CATALAN et al., 2013) and another in Land (7°05’10.09”S, 49°11’02.99”W) in the municipality of Figure 1. Map of state of Tocantins showing locations of study areas. v. 24, n. 2, abr.-jun. 2015 Haemogregarina sp. in Podocnemis expansa 193 Santa Fé do Araguaia, an indigenous reservation located on the forms in 20 replicates of 100 erythrocytes (RBC) per field, totaling banks of the Araguaia River in the middle of the Amazon forest approximately 2,000 erythrocytes (GODFREY et al., 1987, 1990). and inhabited by the Karajá indigenous people. That facility has This research was approved by IBAMA and the Brazilian Ministry only one tank with approximately 1,500 specimens of P. expansa. of the Environment (approval number 38193-2/2013). Animal and blood sampling Statistical analysis To estimate the sample size was used an equation for a finite ANOVA was used to evaluate the differences in parasitemia population (DANIEL & CROSS, 2013), and data from a previous among the animals collected in the different study areas. However, study were used to perform the calculation (ARMOND, 2008). in the Xambioá Indigenous Land there was not positive animals, In this study the prevalence was 99% of Haemogregarina sp., thus not entered in the analyzes. The correlation between parasitemia the size of the P. expansa wild population (N) was estimated and body condition index (body weight in kilograms divided by at 2,100 individuals (Malvasio A, unpublished data), level of the carapace width in cm) was verified by a simple linear regression. confidence 95%, and standard error 5%. Thus, the estimated The BioEstat 5.0 software (AYRES et al., 2007) was used for the sample size was 76 individuals of P. expansa. However, in the statistical analysis. Values were considered statistically significant present study only 25 turtles were sampled in each of the three at p < 0.05. selected locations, totaling 75 animals. Considering the high prevalence rates in the study of Armond (2008), which sampled 80 individuals, we believe that our sample size represents the Results universe of the host population. Samplings were restricted to animals with a carapace width Fractures in the shell and missing nails and phalanges were between 15 and 60 cm. In Brazil, this carapace width range is required observed in the wild animals captured from the Javaés River, for the slaughter of chelonians kept in captivity (BRASIL, 2008). possibly caused by intraspecific aggression or predation. Both the In the Javaés River, wild animals were captured either by fishing with wild animals and the specimens from the breeding facility of the barbless fish hooks or by trawling (PORTELINHA et al., 2013) and Xambioá Indigenous Land appeared to be healthy and without were marked by drilling the tenth marginal scute of the carapace visible anomalies. However, in the breeding facility of the Praia (MALVASIO et al., 2002). In the breeding facilities, chelonians Alta Ranch, there were animals with soft shells and a relatively were manually captured with the aid of a fishing hand net with high amount of skin ulcerations, most likely caused by fungi and a 40 cm diameter and 50 cm bag depth. The carapace width and bacteria (ALEKSIĆ-KOVAČEVIĆ et al., 2014). The presence weight of each captured specimen were measured, and then they of unidentified slime material on the shells of the animals of the were visually inspected for the presence of ectoparasites, such as Praia Alta Ranch was also observed. No leeches were found on leeches, and for possible infections. the chelonians in any of the study areas.
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