1
|
Furtado AP, Carvalho ITS, Lewis EL, Bleke CA, Pantoja DL, Colli GR, French SS, Paludo GR. Short-term impact of a wildfire on the homeostasis of Tropidurus oreadicus lizards. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 339:423-436. [PMID: 36773015 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires cause significant changes in natural habitats and can impact lizard populations. Through changes in the thermal environment, reduced prey availability, and increased exposure to parasite vectors, wildfires affect lizard physiology, immunity, and health. We sampled 56 Tropidurus oreadicus lizards from Cerrado savannas of Brazil living in two adjacent sites: one burned 14 days before the study, and the other unburned for 6 years. We logged the air temperatures of those sites throughout fieldwork. We assessed the short-term possible homeostatic imbalances caused by the fires via measuring body mass, circulating levels of corticosterone (CORT), leukocytes profile changes in heterophile-lymphocyte ratios (HLRs), innate immunity using the bacterial killing assay (BKA), and the diagnosis of hemoparasites using molecular techniques. The air temperature was significantly higher in the burned site. There was no difference in lizard body mass between the two sites, suggesting that prey availability was not affected by the wildfire. While parasite presence was seemingly not affected by fire, the timing of initial parasite infection for animals in the study was unknown, so we also evaluated parasitism as an independent variable relative to the other metrics. Our results showed that parasitic infections lead to reduced bactericidal capacity and body mass in lizards, suggesting clinical disease and depletion of innate immune resources. Moreover, we observed increased HLR with fire and parasitic infections and a strong negative correlation with BKA. These findings suggest that the increased environmental temperature following wildfires may lead to increased CORT and decreased BKA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana P Furtado
- Departamento de Ciências Animais, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Izabelle T S Carvalho
- Departamento de Ciências Animais, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Cole A Bleke
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Davi L Pantoja
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil
| | - Guarino R Colli
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | | | - Giane R Paludo
- Departamento de Ciências Animais, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Parejo-Pulido D, Mora-Rubio C, Marzal A, Magallanes S. Molecular characterization of haemosporidian and haemogregarine diversity in southwestern Iberian amphibians and reptiles. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:1139-1149. [PMID: 36933067 PMCID: PMC10097751 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07814-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
The knowledge of the diversity and geographic distribution of parasite species is the first step towards understanding processes of global epidemiology and species conservation. Despite recent increases in research on haemosporidian and haemogregarine parasites of reptiles and amphibians, we still know little about their diversity and parasite-host interactions, especially in the Iberian Peninsula, where a few studies have been conducted. In this study, the haemosporidian and haemogregarine diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the parasites in southwestern Iberian amphibians and reptiles were assessed using PCR approaches on blood samples of 145 individuals from five amphibian and 13 reptile species. The amphibians did not present any of both groups of parasites studied. Regarding reptiles, five Hepatozoon, one Haemogregarina, and one Haemocystidum haplotypes were found infecting four different species, revealing new host records for these parasites. Among them, we found one new Haemocystidium haplotype and three new and a previously reported Hepatozoon haplotype from a north African snake. The latter finding suggests that some Hepatozoon parasites may not be host-specific and have large geographic ranges even crossing geographical barriers. These results increased the knowledge about the geographic distribution and the number of known host species of some reptile apicomplexan parasites, highlighting the great unexplored diversity of them in this region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Parejo-Pulido
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo, 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Carlos Mora-Rubio
- Departamento de Anatomía Biología Celular y Zoología, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Alfonso Marzal
- Departamento de Anatomía Biología Celular y Zoología, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain.,Grupo de Investigaciones en Fauna Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Jr. Maynas 1777, 22021, Tarapoto, Perú
| | - Sergio Magallanes
- Departamento de Anatomía Biología Celular y Zoología, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain. .,Department of Wetland Ecology (EBD-CSIC), Estación Biológica de Doñana, Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092, Seville, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
|
4
|
Goes VC, Brito ES, Valadao RM, Gutierrez CO, Picelli AM, Viana LA. Haemogregarine (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) infection in Vanderhaege's toad-headed turtle, Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Chelidae), from a Brazilian Neotropical savanna region. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2018; 65. [PMID: 30275346 DOI: 10.14411/fp.2018.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of blood parasites in Brazilian chelonians is limited, since they have been recorded in only six species. Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Bour) is a freshwater turtle with a wide geographic distribution in Brazil, but there is little information about its natural history. This paper reports on a study of the prevalence and infection intensity of a haemogregarine in two subpopulations of M. vanderhaegei. The study was conducted in two areas of Cerrado in the Upper Paraguay River basin in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, between November 2010 and August 2013. Ninety-five (53%) of the 179 turtles captured were positive for haemogregarine parasites. The parasitic forms observed were two morphotypes of intraerythrocytic gametocytes. The prevalence differed between size classes, increasing significantly according to the animals' body size. There was no significant difference between prevalence and sex, or between sampling periods. The mean parasite intensity was 9 parasites/2,000 erythrocytes (0.45%) and the parasite population presented an aggregated distribution, with an aggregation index of 19 and discrepancy of 0.772. This is the first record of a hemoparasite in the freshwater turtle M. vanderhaegei.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius C Goes
- Laboratorio de Parasitologia Animal, Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Elizangela S Brito
- Programa de Pos-graduacao em Ciencias Veterinarias, Faculdade de Agronomia, Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiaba, Brazil
| | - Rafael M Valadao
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservacao de Repteis e Anfibios, Goiania, Brazil
| | - Camila O Gutierrez
- Laboratorio de Parasitologia Animal, Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Amanda M Picelli
- Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Zoologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Lucio A Viana
- Departamento de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal do Amapa, Macapa, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Morphological and molecular techniques were used to investigate the presence of hemogregarines and haemosporidians in biological samples of free-living Geoffroy's side-necked turtles (Phrynops geoffroanus) and Giant Amazon turtles (Podocnemis expansa) from Brazil. No evolutionary form of haemosporidians or hemogregarines were observed in the blood smears of 83 P. geoffroanus samples, and there were no meronts in the histological sections of 31 necropsied P. geoffroanus samples. All DNA samples extracted from P. geoffroanus tissues and blood aliquots were negative in haemosporidian PCR assays (based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene) and hemogregarine PCR assays (based on the 18S rRNA gene). In the analysis of blood smears of all seven Podocnemis expansa evaluated, gametocytes of hemogregarines were observed. The seven P. expansa were negative in the haemosporidian PCR assays. Moreover, hemogregarine DNA was detected in blood samples from all of the sampled P. expansa. The phylogenetic maximum likelihood inference and probabilistic Bayesian inference revealed five closely related genotypes that formed a monophyletic group. There was also a sister group to the lineage that consisted of Haemogregarina spp. of freshwater turtles from Canada, Italy, Mozambique, Kenya, Gabon, Vietnam, and China. The findings suggest that free-living P. expansa were parasitized by a new genotype or even a possible new species of the genus Haemogregarina. Haemosporidians and hemogregarines are not frequently found in P. geoffroanus in the studied region under the local conditions of that period.
Collapse
|
6
|
Oliveira JPD, André MR, Alves Júnior JRF, Lustosa APG, Werther K. Molecular detection of hemogregarines and haemosporidians in Brazilian free-living testudines. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2018; 7:75-84. [PMID: 30050752 PMCID: PMC6058349 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Morphological and molecular techniques were used to investigate the presence of hemogregarines and haemosporidians in biological samples of free-living Geoffroy's side-necked turtles (Phrynops geoffroanus) and Giant Amazon turtles (Podocnemis expansa) from Brazil. No evolutionary form of haemosporidians or hemogregarines were observed in the blood smears of 83 P. geoffroanus samples, and there were no meronts in the histological sections of 31 necropsied P. geoffroanus samples. All DNA samples extracted from P. geoffroanus tissues and blood aliquots were negative in haemosporidian PCR assays (based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene) and hemogregarine PCR assays (based on the 18S rRNA gene). In the analysis of blood smears of all seven Podocnemis expansa evaluated, gametocytes of hemogregarines were observed. The seven P. expansa were negative in the haemosporidian PCR assays. Moreover, hemogregarine DNA was detected in blood samples from all of the sampled P. expansa. The phylogenetic maximum likelihood inference and probabilistic Bayesian inference revealed five closely related genotypes that formed a monophyletic group. There was also a sister group to the lineage that consisted of Haemogregarina spp. of freshwater turtles from Canada, Italy, Mozambique, Kenya, Gabon, Vietnam, and China. The findings suggest that free-living P. expansa were parasitized by a new genotype or even a possible new species of the genus Haemogregarina. Haemosporidians and hemogregarines are not frequently found in P. geoffroanus in the studied region under the local conditions of that period. Hemogregarines was detected in blood samples of free-living Brazilian testudines. Gametocytes of hemogregarines were observed in Podocnemis expansa blood smears. Hemogregarines DNA fragments based on the 18S rRNA gene were detected in P. expansa. We propose that P. expansa were parasitized by a new genotype of Haemogregarina. Haemosporidians was not observed in either P. expansa or Phrynops geoffroanus samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Paula de Oliveira
- São Paulo State University (Unesp), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Studies, Jaboticabal Campus, Via de Acesso Professor Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, 14.884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- São Paulo State University (Unesp), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Studies, Jaboticabal Campus, Via de Acesso Professor Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, 14.884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Paula Gomes Lustosa
- Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), National Center for Research and Conservation of Reptiles and Amphibians (RAN), Rua 229, n 95, Setor Leste Universitário, 74.605-090, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Karin Werther
- São Paulo State University (Unesp), School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Studies, Jaboticabal Campus, Via de Acesso Professor Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, 14.884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Boundenga L, Perkins SL, Ollomo B, Rougeron V, Leroy EM, Renaud F, Prugnolle F. Haemosporidian Parasites of Reptiles and Birds from Gabon, Central Africa. J Parasitol 2017; 103:330-337. [PMID: 28509658 DOI: 10.1645/16-118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Haemosporidian parasites are protozoans that infect many different vertebrate hosts. Re-examination of the diversity of haemosporidian parasites, using molecular tools, has generally led to rearrangements of traditional classifications. In this study, we explored the diversity of haemosporidian parasites infecting some species of reptile and birds living in the forests of Gabon, Central Africa, by analyzing a collection of 128 samples of reptiles and birds. We found that samples from 2 tortoise species (Pelusios castaneus and Kinixys erosa) and 3 bird species (Turtur afer, Ceratogymna atrata, and Agelastes niger) were infected by Haemocystidium spp. and Parahaemoproteus spp., respectively. From an ecological point of view, these lineages of parasites do not show host specificity because we have found them in several host species (2 tortoise and 3 bird species) that come from different areas of Gabon forest which are infected with these parasites. Also, our phylogenetic analyses revealed that the obtained lineages are related to isolates from other continents found in the same groups of vertebrates. Thus, our results show that haemosporidian parasites are also infecting central African vertebrates and that new lineages of these parasites are circulating in wild animals of the Gabon forest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Larson Boundenga
- Centre International de Recherche de Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP: 769 Franceville, Gabon
| | - Susan L Perkins
- Centre International de Recherche de Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP: 769 Franceville, Gabon
| | - Benjamin Ollomo
- Centre International de Recherche de Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP: 769 Franceville, Gabon
| | - Virginie Rougeron
- Centre International de Recherche de Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP: 769 Franceville, Gabon
| | - Eric M Leroy
- Centre International de Recherche de Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP: 769 Franceville, Gabon
| | - François Renaud
- Centre International de Recherche de Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP: 769 Franceville, Gabon
| | - Franck Prugnolle
- Centre International de Recherche de Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), BP: 769 Franceville, Gabon
| |
Collapse
|