Rodrigues Pedro Henrique Cotrin, Alves João Paulo Soares, Miranda Flávia Regina, Rojano Cesar, Silveira Júlia Angélica Gonçalves
Laboratório de Protozoologia Veterinária, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Departamento de Ciência Animal, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus 45662-900, Bahia, Brazil.
Pathogens. 2025 Jul 19;14(7):718. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14070718.
, the smallest of all known anteaters, has an insectivorous diet and is arboreal, rarely descending to the ground. There are scarce reports on diseases and pathogenic agents affecting this taxon. Hemopathogens are pathogenic agents that inhabit the blood of various vertebrate species. Protozoa such as spp., spp., spp., and members of the order Piroplasmida, as well as hemoplasmas and Rickettsial bacteria of the genera and , are among the most important in this group. The transmission of these pathogens generally occurs through arthropod vectors, which act as intermediate hosts. In addition, infections caused by hemopathogens can have adverse effects on host health, contributing to population declines in susceptible species. This study investigated infection by protozoa and hemotropic bacteria in blood samples from free-ranging silky anteaters from Brazil, Peru, and Colombia using molecular detection methods. Sixteen samples were obtained during expeditions conducted in these countries. DNA was extracted from blood samples, and PCR assays were performed to detect parasites from the order Piroplasmida, spp., trypanosomatid agents including spp., , , and , as well as hemotropic bacteria of the genera , , and sp. Nucleotide sequencing was performed on positive samples. Of the total samples analyzed, 62.5% (10/16) tested positive for hemotropic , 50% (8/16) for , and 6.2% (1/16) for . There is a significant gap in knowledge regarding the diversity of hemopathogens affecting the genus , and future studies are needed to understand how these infections may impact the health of individuals.
侏食蚁兽是已知所有食蚁兽中体型最小的，以昆虫为食，树栖，很少下地。关于影响该分类单元的疾病和病原体的报道很少。血液病原体是寄生于各种脊椎动物血液中的病原体。锥虫属、巴贝斯虫属、泰勒虫属等原生动物以及梨形虫目成员，以及无形体属和立克次氏体属的血支原体和立克次氏体细菌是该类群中最重要的。这些病原体的传播通常通过作为中间宿主的节肢动物媒介进行。此外，血液病原体引起的感染会对宿主健康产生不利影响，导致易感物种的数量下降。本研究使用分子检测方法调查了来自巴西、秘鲁和哥伦比亚的野生侏食蚁兽血液样本中原生动物和嗜血性细菌的感染情况。在这些国家进行的考察中采集了16份样本。从血液样本中提取DNA，并进行PCR检测，以检测梨形虫目寄生虫、锥虫属、包括布氏锥虫、枯氏锥虫、克氏锥虫和兰氏锥虫在内的锥虫病原体，以及无形体属、埃立克体属和新立克次氏体属的嗜血性细菌。对阳性样本进行核苷酸测序。在分析的所有样本中，62.
