Yodsheewan Rungrueang, Sukmak Manakorn, Sangkharak Bencharong, Kaolim Nongnid, Ploypan Raveewan, Phongphaew Wallaya
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkhen Campus, Bangkok, Thailand.
Department of Farm Resources and Production Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
Vet World. 2021 Sep;14(9):2380-2385. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.2380-2385. Epub 2021 Sep 13.
The Sunda pangolin () is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species (critically endangered) due to high levels of illegal trafficking for its products. Thailand is one of the habitats of this species, and it has become the main hub for its illegal trafficking. Rehabilitating these captive pangolins and reintroducing them back to the wild are challenging due to the limited knowledge on their diet, management, and diseases. Hemoparasites, including spp., can cause important protozoal infections in both domestic and wild animals, resulting in the failure of rehabilitation and conservation programs. However, spp. has not been reported in pangolins. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of spp. in the Sunda pangolin of Thailand.
A total of 128 confiscated Sunda pangolins from across different regions in Thailand were investigated. These pangolins had been admitted to a regional Wildlife Quarantine Center for rehabilitation before release in the forest. Routine physical examinations were conducted on the animals. We collected blood samples from each pangolin for hematological analysis and to detect spp. using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the partial A gene.
-specific PCR detected 53 animals (41.4%) that were positive for spp. Blood smears were obtained from the positive samples and investigated under a light microscope to observe for trophozoites of spp. Examination of 40 PCR-positive and -negative samples found no significant differences between the hematological parameters of -positive and -negative samples. Eight PCR-positive samples were randomly selected and their DNA was sequenced. Seven and one of sequences match uncharacterized spp. with 100% and 99.2% similarity, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that our samples form a unique monophyletic clade along with other spp. detected in the wild. This clade is clearly separated from other spp. from small carnivores, ruminants, and rats.
Our results provide evidence of infection of Sunda pangolins in Thailand by spp. These pangolins originated from different regions and had not lived together before blood collection. Thus, we suggest that the uncharacterized spp. found in this study constitute a new group of pangolin-specific spp. The prevalence of the uncharacterized spp. was not correlated to pangolin health. Further studies are required to characterize the genomes and phenotypes, including the morphology and pathogenicity of these protozoa. Such information will be helpful for the conservation and health management of the Sunda pangolin.
由于穿山甲制品的非法贸易猖獗，马来穿山甲（）被列入国际自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录（极度濒危）。泰国是该物种的栖息地之一，且已成为其非法贸易的主要枢纽。由于对圈养穿山甲的饮食、管理和疾病方面的了解有限，对这些圈养穿山甲进行康复并放归野外具有挑战性。包括属原虫在内的血液寄生虫可在 domestic 和野生动物中引起重要的原生动物感染，导致康复和保护计划失败。然而，尚未有关于穿山甲属原虫感染的报道。本研究的目的是确定泰国马来穿山甲中属原虫的感染率。
对从泰国不同地区没收的128只马来穿山甲进行了调查。这些穿山甲在放归森林之前已被送往一个地区野生动物检疫中心进行康复。对这些动物进行了常规体格检查。我们从每只穿山甲采集血液样本进行血液学分析，并使用针对部分 A 基因的聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测属原虫。
特异性 PCR 检测到53只动物（41.4%）属原虫呈阳性。从阳性样本制备血涂片，在光学显微镜下观察属原虫的滋养体。对40份 PCR 阳性和阴性样本进行检查，发现阳性和阴性样本的血液学参数无显著差异。随机选择8份 PCR 阳性样本进行 DNA 测序。其中7份和1份序列分别与未鉴定的属原虫具有100%和99.2%的相似性。系统发育分析表明，我们的样本与在野外检测到的其他属原虫形成一个独特的单系分支。该分支与来自小型食肉动物、反刍动物和大鼠的其他属原虫明显分开。
我们的结果提供了泰国马来穿山甲感染属原虫 的证据。这些穿山甲来自不同地区，在采血前并未生活在一起。因此，我们认为本研究中发现的未鉴定的属原虫构成了一组新的穿山甲特异性属原虫。未鉴定的属原虫感染率与穿山甲健康状况无关。需要进一步研究来表征这些原生动物的基因组和表型，包括形态和致病性。这些信息将有助于马来穿山甲的保护和健康管理。
