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W. J. Loughry - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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life on the half shell consequences of a carapace in the evolution of Armadillos xenarthra cingulata
Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 2012Co-Authors: Mariella Superina, W. J. LoughryAbstract:Without doubt, the possession of an armored carapace represents one of the most conspicuous morphological features of all cingulates. Here, we review some of the many ways in which the carapace may have influenced the evolution of other features of extant Armadillos (Xenarthra: Cingulata). Effects range from physiological impacts on respiration and thermoregulation, to mechanical and other constraints on reproduction. Additionally, in mammals, armor has been linked with relatively slow plantigrade locomotion, which in turn may have promoted the low metabolic rate and exploitation of a low quality diet typically observed in Armadillos. Finally, this network of relationships may help to explain the lack of any obvious kin-selected altruism in the polyembryonic Armadillos, such as the nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), because of time and energy constraints associated with a short active period devoted almost exclusively to feeding. In mammals, there has been growing interest in describing an ecological “lifestyle” as the particular way in which each species makes its living, and how this lifestyle constrains the evolution of other phenotypic traits. Based on our review, it appears the carapace has been a major determinant of the lifestyle of Armadillos and has played a central role in shaping the evolution of many other features of these animals.
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Influences on Vigilance in Nine‐banded Armadillos
Ethology, 2010Co-Authors: Colleen M. Mcdonough, W. J. LoughryAbstract:Functional aspects of vigilance in nine-banded Armadillos (Edentata: Dasypus noverncinctus) were investigated. Data on solitary individuals revealed few age or sex differences in time spent vigilant. However, vigilance increased in most social contexts and w'!s highest during intraspecific agonistic encounters. These results suggest social functions for Armadillo vigilance. Armadillos with higher vigilance levels had longer flight distances, suggesting that vigilance may also have antipredator benefits. Further examination of flight distances revealed that they varied with age, weather conditions, and time of year (breeding versus non-breeding season), and were negatively correlated with body size. In total, the results indicate the complexity of vigilance in a solitary species and suggest that Armadillo vigilance is multifunctional.
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Influences on Vigilance in Nine-banded Armadillos
Ethology, 2010Co-Authors: Colleen M. Mcdonough, W. J. LoughryAbstract:Functional aspects of vigilance in nine-banded Armadillos (Edentata: Dasypus noverncinctus) were investigated. Data on solitary individuals revealed few age or sex differences in time spent vigilant. However, vigilance increased in most social contexts and w'!s highest during intraspecific agonistic encounters. These results suggest social functions for Armadillo vigilance. Armadillos with higher vigilance levels had longer flight distances, suggesting that vigilance may also have antipredator benefits. Further examination of flight distances revealed that they varied with age, weather conditions, and time of year (breeding versus non-breeding season), and were negatively correlated with body size. In total, the results indicate the complexity of vigilance in a solitary species and suggest that Armadillo vigilance is multifunctional.
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Molecular Documentation of Polyembryony and the Micro-Spatial Dispersion of Clonal Sibships in the Nine-Banded Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus
Proceedings. Biological sciences, 1996Co-Authors: Paulo A. Prodöhl, Colleen M. Mcdonough, W. J. Loughry, William S. Nelson, John C. AviseAbstract:A battery of allelic markers at highly polymorphic microsatellite loci was developed and employed to confirm genetically, the clonal nature of sibships in nine-banded Armadillos. This phenomenon of consistent polyembryony, otherwise nearly unknown among the vertebrates, was capitalized upon to describe the micro-spatial distributions of numerous clonal sibships in a natural population of Armadillos. Adult clone mates were significantly more dispersed than were juvenile sibs, suggesting limited opportunities for altruistic behavioural interactions among mature individuals. These results, and considerations of Armadillo natural history, suggest that evolutionary explanations for polyembryony in this species may not reside in the kinds of ecological and kin selection theories relevant to some of the polyembryonic invertebrates. Rather, polyembryony in Armadillos may be associated evolutionarily with other reproductive peculiarities of the species, including delayed uterine implantation of a single egg.
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are road kills valid indicators of Armadillo population structure
American Midland Naturalist, 1996Co-Authors: W. J. Loughry, Colleen M. McdonoughAbstract:-We collected 3 yr of data on road-killed nine-banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) to determine if these individuals were representative of the population as a whole. Comparisons between road kills and an adjacent live-caught population revealed no differences in sex ratios or the reproductive condition of adult females. However, there was a significant difference in the age structure of the two groups, with almost no juvenile road kills. Our live-caught population appeared representative of Armadillo populations in general. Comparisons of the demography of this population with that from two other live-caught groups revealed no significant differences. Our data suggest that road-killed Armadillos provide a representative picture of the demography of the adults in a population, but that information on age structure is misleading.
Mariella Superina - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Forelimb myology of Armadillos (Xenarthra: Cingulata, Chlamyphoridae): Anatomical correlates with fossorial ability.
Journal of Anatomy, 2020Co-Authors: Sarah K Marshall, Mariella Superina, Kyle B Spainhower, Michael T ButcherAbstract:Descriptions of myology reflect adaptations of the post-cranium and are essential for understanding the functional morphology of animal limbs. Armadillos (Cingulata) are the most species-rich group of the basal superorder Xenarthra, which is evident by their various lifestyles (subterranean vs. terrestrial) and levels of fossoriality (fossorial vs. semi-fossorial). While there have been several studies on limb bone proportions in numerous Armadillos, limb myology has been reported for a limited number of species. Many of these descriptions need updating, and detailed quantitative muscle data are available only for nine-banded Armadillos. The main objective of this study is to assess the forelimb myology of the pichi (Zaedyus pichiy), screaming hairy (Chaetophractus vellerosus), large hairy (Chaetophractus villosus), and pink fairy (Chlamyphorus truncatus) Armadillos with comparisons to previous observations to specify muscle traits that indicate scratch-digging specializations in cingulates. Several myological features are variable among the species studied, including the origin of m. trapezius pars cervicalis, presence of a distinct m. rhomboideus profundus and m. omotransversarius, and number of heads present for m. triceps brachii and m. flexor digitorum profundus, all of which can be associated with variability in their respective habitats and functional habits. These traits are consistently observed in the members of the Euphractinae, whereas they are slightly divergent (i.e., reduced complexity) in the pink fairy Armadillo despite a similar distribution of muscle mass in the limb retractors, elbow extensors, and carpal/digital flexors across species. The ecomorphology observed here among cingulates also confirms their recent reorganization into separate families and subfamilies.
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Ecosystem services provided by Armadillos.
Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 2019Co-Authors: Thiago Ferreira Rodrigues, Mariella Superina, Aline Meira Bonfim Mantellatto, Adriano Garcia ChiarelloAbstract:Awareness of the natural ecological processes provided by organisms that benefit human well-being has significantly progressed towards the goal of making conservation a mainstream value. Identifying different services and the species that provide them is a vital first step for the management and maintenance of these so-called ecosystem services. Herein, we specifically address the Armadillos, which play key functional roles in terrestrial ecosystems, including as ecosystem engineers, predators, and vectors of invertebrates and nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Armadillos can control pests, disperse seeds, and be effective sentinels of potential disease outbreaks or bioindicators of environmental contaminants. They also supply important material (meat, medicines) and non-material (learning, inspiration) contributions all over the Americas. We identify key gaps in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by Armadillos and areas for future research required to clarify their functional role in terrestrial ecosystems and the services they supply. Such information will produce powerful arguments for Armadillo conservation.
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Connecting research, management, education and policy for the conservation of Armadillos in the Orinoco Llanos of Colombia
Oryx, 2018Co-Authors: Mariella Superina, Alexandra Cortés Duarte, Fernando TrujilloAbstract:Successful conservation actions require strategies that combine research, policy formulation and enforcement, practical interventions and education. Here we review the Armadillo Conservation Programme, which was initiated in 2012 as a pioneering multidisciplinary programme for the conservation and management of five Armadillo species in the Orinoco Llanos of Colombia. It is led by a multi-institutional alliance that ensures active participation of stakeholders during all stages of the programme. Six main threats affecting Armadillo populations in the Llanos were identified, and these were addressed in the first joint action plan of two Colombian environmental authorities. Scientific research facilitated an increase in the knowledge available about the Armadillos of the Llanos, and the recategorization of the northern long-nosed Armadillo Dasypus sabanicola on the IUCN Red List. Threat evaluation and mitigation included the assessment of illegal bushmeat trade and consumption in local restaurants and the establishment of a certification label for restaurants that do not sell wild meat. Multiple strategies were used to raise awareness about Armadillos and position them as flagship species for the Llanos, including education programmes in schools, travelling exhibitions, talks at universities, and the publication of several books. The local communities were actively involved through a network of private reserves committed to the conservation of Armadillos, in which Armadillos are protected from poaching and monitored by farmers. Breeding and rehabilitation facilities were established that can host confiscated Armadillos and raise awareness among the local communities. This case study shows that conservation programmes targeted at inconspicuous and poorly known species can be successful.
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Dasypus hybridus (Cingulata: Dasypodidae)
Mammalian Species, 2016Co-Authors: Agustín M. Abba, Mariella SuperinaAbstract:Dasypus hybridus ([Desmarest, 1804][1]) is commonly known as the southern long-nosed Armadillo. Like all Armadillos, it bears a carapace of ossified dermal scutes covered by epidermal scales. This diurnal species mainly inhabits grasslands on humic soils in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil. D . hybridus is omnivorous with a tendency to myrmecophagy and gives birth to 6–12 presumably genetically identical offspring. Listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, it is mainly threatened by habitat loss and hunting. [1]: #ref-43
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Climate fluctuations as a cause of rarity in fairy Armadillos
Mammalian Biology, 2015Co-Authors: Ricardo Torres, Agustín M. Abba, Mariella SuperinaAbstract:Despite having a moderately large distributional area, both the pink fairy Armadillo ( Chlamyphorus truncatus ) and particularly the Chacoan fairy Armadillo ( Calyptophractus retusus ), which are among the least known xenarthrans, appear to be rare or patchily distributed. Although low density in species with large range sizes has been associated with large body size, this is not the case for fairy Armadillos. We propose that past climate variations may have caused their current low densities, and evaluate retractions and expansions of suitable areas of fairy Armadillos by extrapolating the consensus of habitat suitability models fitted with current climatic conditions to past conditions. We found great variation in suitable area along time in both species, with a drastic reduction in the Last Interglacial (LIG) period when compared with current situation. Both the variations and the reduction during LIG were more pronounced in Calyptophractus than in Chlamyphorus . We postulate that past extreme reductions in suitable areas could cause a delay in the recovery of the populations, resulting in low densities despite climatic conditions during more benign times allowing a more widespread distribution.
Ricardo E. Gürtler - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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new sylvatic hosts of trypanosoma cruzi and their reservoir competence in the humid chaco of argentina a longitudinal study
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2013Co-Authors: Marcela M Orozco, Uriel Kitron, Julian A Alvaradootegui, Gustavo Fabian Enriquez, Alejandro G Schijman, Victoria M Cardinal, Ricardo E. GürtlerAbstract:A four-year longitudinal study of the structure of sylvatic transmission cycles of Trypanosoma cruzi, reservoir host competence and parasite discrete typing units was conducted in a disturbed rural area of the humid Chaco in Argentina. Among 190 mammals examined by xenodiagnosis and polymerase chain reaction amplification, the composite prevalence of infection was substantially higher in Dasypus novemcinctus Armadillos (57.7%) and Didelphis albiventris opossums (38.1%) than in Euphractus sexcinctus (20.0%), Tolypeutes matacus (12.5%), and Chaetophractus vellerosus (6.3%) Armadillos. Trypanosoma cruzi was detected for the first time in Thylamys pusilla small opossums and in two unidentified small rodents. Infection was spatially aggregated only in Armadillos. All Didelphis were infected with T. cruzi I and all Armadillo species were infected with T. cruzi III, implying two distinct sylvatic cycles with no inputs from the domestic cycle. Dasypus Armadillos and Didelphis opossums were much more infectious to vectors than other Armadillos, small opossums, or rodents.
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the sylvatic transmission cycle of trypanosoma cruzi in a rural area in the humid chaco of argentina
Acta Tropica, 2012Co-Authors: Julian A Alvaradootegui, Leonardo A. Ceballos, Uriel Kitron, Marcela M Orozco, Gustavo Fabian Enriquez, Marta Victoria Cardinal, Carolina Cura, Alejandro G Schijman, Ricardo E. GürtlerAbstract:Little is known about the sylvatic transmission cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Gran Chaco ecoregion. We conducted surveys to identify the main sylvatic hosts of T. cruzi, parasite discrete typing units and vector species involved in Pampa del Indio, a rural area in the humid Argentinean Chaco. A total of 44 mammals from 14 species were captured and examined for infection by xenodiagnosis and polymerase chain reaction amplification of the hyper-variable region of kinetoplast DNA minicircles of T. cruzi (kDNA-PCR). Ten (22.7%) mammals were positive by xenodiagnosis or kDNA-PCR. Four of 11 (36%) Didelphis albiventris (white-eared opossums) and six of nine (67%) Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded Armadillos) were positive by xenodiagnosis and or kDNA-PCR. Rodents, other Armadillo species, felids, crab-eating raccoons, hares and rabbits were not infected. Positive animals were highly infectious to the bugs that fed upon them as determined by xenodiagnosis. All positive opossums were infected with T. cruzi I and all positive nine-banded Armadillos with T. cruzi III. Extensive searches in sylvatic habitats using 718 Noireau trap-nights only yielded Triatoma sordida whereas no bug was collected in 26 light-trap nights. Four Armadillos or opossums fitted with a spool-and-line device were successfully tracked to their refuges; only one Panstrongylus geniculatus was found in an Armadillo burrow. No sylvatic triatomine was infected with T. cruzi by microscopical examination or kDNA-PCR. Our results indicate that two independent sylvatic transmission cycles of T. cruzi occur in the humid Chaco. The putative vectors of both cycles need to be identified conclusively.
Frédéric Delsuc - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Beyond the carapace: skull shape variation and morphological systematics of long-nosed Armadillos (genus Dasypus )
PeerJ, 2017Co-Authors: Lionel Hautier, Guillaume Billet, Benoit De Thoisy, Frédéric DelsucAbstract:Background: The systematics of long-nosed Armadillos (genus Dasypus) has been mainly based on a handful of external morphological characters and classical measurements. Here, we studied the pattern of morphological variation in the skull of long-nosed Armadillos species, with a focus on the systematics of the widely distributed nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). Methods: We present the first exhaustive 3D comparison of the skull morphology within the genus Dasypus, based on micro-computed tomography. We used geometric morphometric approaches to explore the patterns of the intra-and interspecific morphological variation of the skull with regard to several factors such as taxonomy, geography, allometry, and sexual dimorphism. Results: We show that the shape and size of the skull vary greatly among Dasypus species, with Dasypus pilosus representing a clear outlier compared to other long-nosed Armadillos. The study of the cranial intraspecific variation in Dasypus novemcinctus evidences clear links to the geographic distribution and argues in favor of a revision of past taxonomic delimitations. Our detailed morphometric comparisons detected previously overlooked morphotypes of nine-banded Armadillos, especially a very distinctive unit restricted to the Guiana Shield. Discussion: As our results are congruent with recent molecular data and analyses of the structure of paranasal sinuses, we propose that Dasypus novemcinctus should be regarded either as a polytypic species (with three to four subspecies) or as a complex of several distinct species.
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Systematics of Hairy Armadillos and the Taxonomic Status of the Andean Hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus nationi)
Journal of Mammalogy, 2015Co-Authors: Agustín M. Abba, Mariella Superina, Guillermo H. Cassini, Guido Valverde, Marie-ka Tilak, Sergio F. Vizcaíno, Frédéric DelsucAbstract:Hairy Armadillos constitute an ecologically homogeneous and morphologically similar group with currently 5 species classified in the subfamily Euphractinae. Among them, the Andean hairy Armadillo Chaetophractus nationi (Xenarthra, Cingulata, Dasypodidae) is a small, endangered Armadillo that has long been suspected to represent a high-altitude variant of Chaetophractus vellerosus. Here, we report the 1st phylogenetic systematics assessment of hairy Armadillos using morphological and molecular analyses of all described species with focus on the status of the Andean hairy Armadillo. Multivariate analyses of shape variation based on 3-dimensional landmark coordinates of skulls allowed a clear differentiation of each species with the exception of C. vellerosus and C. nationi, within which only a latitudinal and/or altitudinal gradient in size was apparent. Moreover, analyses of mitochondrial DNA control region (D-loop) revealed a single C. nationi haplotype that appeared to be identical with a C. vellerosus h...
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Systematics of hairy Armadillos and the taxonomic status of the Andean hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus nationi)
Journal of Mammalogy, 2015Co-Authors: Agustín Abba, Mariella Superina, Guillermo H. Cassini, Guido Valverde, Marie-ka Tilak, Sergio Vizcaíno, Frédéric DelsucAbstract:Hairy Armadillos constitute an ecologically homogeneous and morphologically similar group with currently 5 species classified in the subfamily Euphractinae. Among them, the Andean hairy Armadillo Chaetophractus nationi (Xenarthra, Cingulata, Dasypodidae) is a small, endangered Armadillo that has long been suspected to represent a high-altitude variant of Chaetophractus vellerosus. Here, we report the 1st phylogenetic systematics assessment of hairy Armadillos using morphological and molecular analyses of all described species with focus on the status of the Andean hairy Armadillo. Multivariate analyses of shape variation based on 3-dimensional landmark coordinates of skulls allowed a clear differentiation of each species with the exception of C. vellerosus and C. nationi, within which only a latitudinal and/or altitudinal gradient in size was apparent. Moreover, analyses of mitochondrial DNA control region (D-loop) revealed a single C. nationi haplotype that appeared to be identical with a C. vellerosus haplotype from Argentina. Identical sequences in C. vellerosus and C. nationi were also observed for 3 of the 5 non-coding nuclear markers investigated. Based on these data, we propose that C. nationi should be considered as a synonym of C. vellerosus. However, this taxonomic change should not preclude the protection of the high-altitude Bolivian populations that are steadily declining because of their overexploitation for traditional purposes. Finally, phylogenetic analyses of euphractine Armadillos based on a combination of 6 non-coding nuclear markers and 2 nuclear exons suggest the paraphyly of the genus Chaetophractus, with C. vellerosus being more closely related to Zaedyus pichiy than to C. villosus.
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Molecular systematics of Armadillos (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae): contribution of maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genes.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2003Co-Authors: Frédéric Delsuc, Michael J Stanhope, Emmanuel DouzeryAbstract:The 30 living species of Armadillos, anteaters, and sloths (Mammalia: Xenarthra) represent one of the three major clades of placentals. Armadillos (Cingulata: Dasypodidae) are the earliest and most speciose xenarthran lineage with 21 described species. The question of their tricky phylogeny was here studied by adding two mitochondrial genes (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 [ND1] and 12S ribosomal RNA [12S rRNA]) to the three protein-coding nuclear genes (alpha2B adrenergic receptor [ADRA2B], breast cancer susceptibility exon 11 [BRCA1], and von Willebrand factor exon 28 [VWF]) yielding a total of 6869 aligned nucleotide sites for thirteen xenarthran species. The two mitochondrial genes were characterized by marked excesses of transitions over transversions-with a strong bias toward CT transitions for the 12S rRNA-and exhibited two- to fivefold faster evolutionary rates than the fastest nuclear gene (ADRA2B). Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses supported the monophyly of Dasypodinae, Tolypeutinae, and Euphractinae, with the latter two Armadillo subfamilies strongly clustering together. Conflicting branching points between individual genes involved relationships within the subfamilies Tolypeutinae and Euphractinae. Owing to a greater number of informative sites, the overall concatenation favored the mitochondrial topology with the classical grouping of Cabassous and Priodontes within Tolypeutinae, and a close relationship between Euphractus and Chaetophractus within Euphractinae. However, low statistical support values associated with almost equal distributions of apomorphies among alternatives suggested that two parallel events of rapid speciation occurred within these two Armadillo subfamilies.
Eduardo Bagagli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Molecular detection of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in road-killed wild animals
Medical Mycology, 2008Co-Authors: Virgínia Bodelão Richini-pereira, Juliana Griese, Raquel Cordeiro Theodoro, Severino Assis Da Graça Macoris, Ligia Vizeu Barrozo, Patrícia Morais E Silva Tavares, Rosely Maria Zancopé-oliveira, Reinaldo Jose Da Silva, Sandra De Moraes Gimenes Bosco, Eduardo BagagliAbstract:Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infections have been little studied in wild and/or domestic animals, which may represent an important indicator of the presence of the pathogen in nature. Road-killed wild animals have been used for surveillance of vectors of zoonotic pathogens and may offer new opportunities for eco-epidemiological studies of paracoccidiodomycosis (PCM). The presence of P. brasiliensis infection was evaluated by Nested-PCR in tissue samples collected from 19 roadkilled animals; 3 Cavia aperea (guinea pig), 5 Cerdocyon thous (crab-eating-fox), 1 Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded Armadillo), 1 Dasypus septemcinctus (sevenbanded Armadillo), 2 Didelphis albiventris (white-eared opossum), 1 Eira barbara (tayra), 2 Gallictis vittata (grison), 2 Procyon cancrivorus (raccoon) and 2 Sphiggurus spinosus (porcupine). Specific P. brasiliensis amplicons were detected in (a) several organs of the two Armadillos and one guinea pig, (b) the lung and liver of the porcupine, and (c) the lungs of raccoons and grisons. P. brasiliensis infection in wild animals from endemic areas might be more common than initially postulated. Molecular techniques can be used for detecting new hosts and mapping ‘hot spot’ areas of PCM.
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Study of Toxoplasma infection in Brazilian wild mammals: Serological evidence in Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 and Euphractus sexcinctus Wagler, 1830
Veterinary parasitology, 2005Co-Authors: Aristeu Vieira Da Silva, Sandra De Moraes Gimenes Bosco, Helio Langoni, Eduardo BagagliAbstract:Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide distributed zoonosis that affects man and most warm-blooded animals, with a great economic impact in animal and public health. Serum samples from nine 9-banded Armadillos, three 6-banded Armadillos, three coatimundis, two opossums and one nutria were submitted for anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibody detection by means of a modified direct agglutination method. Encephalic tissue of three 6-banded Armadillos, one 9-banded Armadillo, one coatimundi and one nutria were digested in acid pepsin solution and inoculated into Swiss mice for parasite isolation. Only one serum sample from a nine-banded Armadillo and two from six-banded Armadillos reacted producing titers equal to 256, 512 and 512, respectively. T. gondii was isolated in two 6-banded Armadillos, one of which was not positive in the serological test.
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Virulence profiles of ten Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates obtained from Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus).
Medical Mycology, 2003Co-Authors: Flavia Hebeler-barbosa, M R Montenegro, Eduardo BagagliAbstract:Paracoccidioides brasiliensisis the etiologic agent of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), the most important systemic mycosis in Latin America. The Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, has been confirmed as the primary natural reservoir of this fungus. Its geographic distribution is similar to that of human PCM. In this study, virulence profiles of 10 P. brasiliensisisolates from different Armadillos and of two clinical isolates were tested in an experimental hamster model. Pathogenicity was evaluated by counting cfu and performing histopathological analysis in the testis, liver, spleen and lung. Circulating specific antibodies were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All isolates from Armadillos were virulent in the model, with dissemination to many organs. The clinical isolates, which had long been stored in cultured collections, were less virulent. The isolates were classified into four virulence categories according to number of cfu per gram of tissue: very high, high, intermediate and lo...
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isolation of paracoccidioides brasiliensis from Armadillos dasypus noveminctus captured in an endemic area of paracoccidioidomycosis
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 1998Co-Authors: Eduardo Bagagli, Ayako Sano, Kunie Iabuki Rabello Coelho, S Alquati, M Miyaji, Z P De Camargo, G M Gomes, Marcello Franco, M R MontenegroAbstract:Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), was first isolated from Armadillos from the Amazonian region where the mycosis is uncommon. In the present study, we report on the high incidence of PCM infection in Armadillos from a hyperendemic region of the disease. Four nine-banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) were captured in the endemic area of Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil, killed by manual cervical dislocation and autopsied under sterile conditions. Fragments of lung, spleen, liver, and mesenteric lymph nodes were processed for histology, cultured on Mycosel agar at 37 degrees C, and homogenized for inoculation into the testis and peritoneum of hamsters. The animals were killed from week 6 to week 20 postinoculation and fragments of liver, lung, spleen, testis, and lymph nodes were cultured on brain heart infusion agar at 37 degrees C. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was isolated from three Armadillos both by direct organ culture and from the liver, spleen, lung, and mesenteric lymph nodes of hamsters. In addition, one positive Armadillo presented histologically proven PCM disease in a mesenteric lymph node. The three Armadillos isolates (Pb-A1, Pb-A2, and Pb-A4) presented thermodependent dimorphism, urease activity, and casein assimilation, showed amplification of the gp43 gene, and were highly virulent in intratesticularly inoculated hamsters. The isolates expressed the gp43 glycoprotein, the immunodominant antigen of the fungus, and reacted with a pool of sera from PCM patients. Taken together, the present data confirm that Armadillos are a natural reservoir of P. brasiliensis and demonstrate that the animal is a sylvan host to the fungus.