Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, 70010, Bari, Italy.
Laboratory of Parasitology, Federal University of the Agreste of Pernambuco, Garanhuns, Brazil.
Parasitol Res. 2021 Dec;120(12):4091-4111. doi: 10.1007/s00436-021-07072-4. Epub 2021 Mar 31.
Medium sized opossums (Didelphis spp.) are among the most fascinating mammals of the Americas, playing important ecological roles (e.g., dispersal of seeds and control of insect populations) in the environment they inhabit. Nevertheless, as synanthropic animals, they are well adapted to human dwellings, occupying shelters within the cities, peripheral areas, and rural settings. These marsupials can harbor numerous pathogens, which may affect people, pets, and livestock. Among those, some protozoa (e.g., Leishmania infantum, Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii), helminths (e.g., Ancylostoma caninum, Trichinella spiralis, Alaria marcianae, Paragonimus spp.) and arthropods (e.g., ticks, fleas) present substantial public health and veterinary importance, due to their capacity to cause disease in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Here, we reviewed the role played by opossums on the spreading of zoonotic parasites, vectors, and vector-borne pathogens, highlighting the risks of pathogens transmission due to the direct and indirect interaction of humans and domestic animals with Didelphis spp. in the Americas.
中大型负鼠(Didelphis spp.)是美洲最迷人的哺乳动物之一,在它们栖息的环境中发挥着重要的生态作用(例如,传播种子和控制昆虫种群)。然而,作为与人共生的动物,它们很好地适应了人类的住所,占据了城市、周边地区和农村地区的避难所。这些有袋动物可以携带许多病原体,这些病原体可能会影响人类、宠物和牲畜。其中,一些原生动物(例如,婴儿利什曼原虫、克氏锥虫、刚地弓形虫)、蠕虫(例如,犬钩虫、旋毛虫、海氏曼氏血吸虫、并殖吸虫属)和节肢动物(例如,蜱、跳蚤)具有重要的公共卫生和兽医意义,因为它们有能力在人类、家畜和野生动物中引起疾病。在这里,我们回顾了负鼠在传播人畜共患寄生虫、媒介和媒介传播病原体方面所起的作用,强调了由于人类和家畜与美洲负鼠的直接和间接相互作用而导致病原体传播的风险。