Alves Mario H, Mendoza-Roldan Jairo Alfonso, Alfaro-Segura Paula, Carbonara Mariaelisa, Gómez Aarón, Leitón Natalia Montero, Ortega Jazmín Arias, Solano-Barquero Alberto, Rojas Alicia, Otranto Domenico
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. 2025 May 27;27:101090. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2025.101090. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Vector-borne pathogens in amphibians and reptiles represent an emerging concern in wildlife, with implications for ecosystem dynamics and potential zoonotic risks. In this study, we screened 108 animals from Costa Rica, including 46 captive snakes, 24 free-ranging reptiles, and 38 free-ranging amphibians, for the presence of Trypanosomatidae, Anaplasmataceae, , , and spp. Blood smear analysis revealed protozoa gametocytes in 3.7 % of the animals sampled, and 11.1 % of amphibians and reptiles were molecular positive for at least one pathogen. Specifically, 7.4 % of the samples tested positive for spp., 1.85 % for spp., 0.9 % for spp., and 1.85 % for spp. Notably, this study reports the first molecular detection of in an amphibian species () and confirms the presence of mammalian pathogenic in captive snakes in Central America. The presence of potential zoonotic agents in both captive and free-ranging herpetofauna underscores the importance of screening wildlife species, including understudied host groups such as amphibians, to better understand their role in disease ecology.
两栖动物和爬行动物体内的媒介传播病原体成为野生动物领域一个新的关注点，对生态系统动态以及潜在的人畜共患病风险都有影响。在本研究中，我们对来自哥斯达黎加的108只动物进行了筛查，其中包括46只圈养蛇、24只散养爬行动物和38只散养两栖动物，检测锥虫科、无形体科、 、 以及 属的存在情况。血涂片分析显示，在3.7%的采样动物中发现了原生动物配子体，11.1%的两栖动物和爬行动物至少对一种病原体呈分子阳性。具体而言，7.4%的样本对 属检测呈阳性，1.85%对 属呈阳性，0.9%对 属呈阳性，1.85%对 属呈阳性。值得注意的是，本研究报告了在一种两栖动物物种（ ）中首次进行的 分子检测，并证实了中美洲圈养蛇体内存在哺乳动物致病性 。圈养和散养的爬行类和两栖类动物中存在潜在的人畜共患病原体，这凸显了对野生动物物种进行筛查的重要性，包括对两栖动物等研究不足的宿主群体，以便更好地了解它们在疾病生态学中的作用。
