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Malaria parasites (: Haemosporina) in lizards from Central Amazonia

Amanda M. Picelli1*, Lucio A. Viana2, Felipe A. C. Pessoa3, Igor L. Keafer4

1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, UFAM, CEP 69.067-005, Manaus, AM, Brazil. 2Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, UNIFAP, CEP 68903-419, Macapá, AP, Brazil. 3Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, FIOCRUZ, CEP 69057-070, Manaus, AM, Brazil. 4Departamento de Biologia, UFAM, CEP 69.067-005, Manaus, AM, Brazil. *Corresponding author: [email protected]

Among the different groups of protozoan parasites, representatives of the Apicomplexa have high human medical and veterinary importance, but its diversity in wild animals is little known. The present study performed a survey of the diversity of hemoparasites of the phylum Apicomplexa in lizards of central Amazonia, Brazil. The samplings were conducted at forests near a human settlement in the municipality of Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas State, Brazil. Lizards were captured by active search and using different traps such as pitfalls, Tomahawk® and Sherman®. Blood samples were taken to make blood smears. Blood smears were examined for up to 20 min under a microscope ×1,000 oil immersion. Parasitemia was estimated by looking for parasite forms in 20 replicates of 100 erythrocytes (parasites/2,000 cells). We captured a total of 45 lizards from the following families: Iguanidae (n=1), Scincidae (n=2), Alopoglossidae (n=2), Dactyloidae (n=3), Gymnophthalmidae (n=10) e Teiidae (n=27). Malaria parasites were found in 17.7% (8/45) of the lizards and the positive individuals are from the Teiidae (Ameiva ameiva, n=2; Kentropyx calcarata, n=5) and Dactyloidae (Anolis planiceps, n=1). K. calcarata was specie host to kentropyxi (n=3/12) and to unidentified morphotype from Garniidae (n=1/12). The other lizards were positive for 4 unidentified Plasmodium morphotypes. Parasite forms, i.e developing trophozoites, merozoites and gametocytes, were found in erythrocytes and leukocytes. The mean parasitemia for P. kentropyxi was 81/2,000 erythrocytes (4%) and Garniidae was 33/2,000 erythrocytes (1.6%). The parasite P. kentropyxi was described in K. calcarata from the Island of Outeiro, near Icoaraci, Pará, north Brazil. In sum, our data suggest that the study area holds a high diversity potential of malaria parasites in lizards.

Keywords: hemoparasites; prevalence; parasitemia; .