Encephalitozoon intestinalis infection in free-ranging giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and armadillo species (Priodontes maximus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Cabassous squamicaudis).

Microsporidia are emerging, opportunistic fungi that infect a diverse population of vertebrates and invertebrates. Mammals of the superorder Xenarthra can harbor and transmit several pathogens, acting as important sources of infection for spreading various zoonoses. Microsporidia have not yet been described in this group of animals, the aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of the zoonotic microsporidian Encephalitozoon intestinalis, Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in the feces of giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and armadillo species (Priodontes maximus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Dasypus novemcinctus, Cabassous squamicaudis) monitored by Wild Animal Conservation Institute (ICAS) in Brazil. Fecal samples (n=127) were subjected to DNA extraction with the QIAamp Fast DNA Stool Mini Kit. Amplification by PCR was performed with generic primers and the product generated from this reaction was subjected to nested PCR with specific primers. Eleven samples tested positive for E. intestinalis, two from M. tridactyla (2/56, 3.6%), seven from E. sexcinctus (7/51, 13.7%), two from P. maximus (2/11, 18%) and one from C. squamicaudis (1/3, 33.3%). There was a predominance of positive results in adult animals, of both sexes across and in the Pantanal and Cerrado biomes. In conclusion, the prevalence in Xenarthra was 9.4%, with a higher occurrence in armadillos than in anteaters. Therefore, the species of wild mammals studied here should be considered reservoirs of microsporidian pathogens and have a relevant role in the concept of One Health.