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Sarcocystosis in wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Patagonia, Argentina

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Abstract

Sarcocystis spp. are protozoan parasites with a heteroxenous life cycle, which produce cysts in the muscle of herbivorous animals. In these animal species, sarcocystosis is frequently asymptomatic, although it may occur with high prevalence. Seven Sarcocystis spp. have been described in red deer (Cervus elephus). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sarcocystosis, and to perform the morphological and molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. found in wild red deer of the Nahuel Huapi National Park (NHNP), Patagonia, Argentina. Full necropsies of 62 red deer killed by hunters in the NHNP and neighboring areas were performed. Samples of heart and skeletal muscle were examined histologically and selected samples were also examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), PCR and sequencing. Sarcocystis spp. thin walled cysts were detected in 62 % (38/62) of heart, and in 22 % (3/14) of skeletal muscle samples examined histologically. TEM revealed a smooth and thin cyst wall (≤1 μm), with scarce and separated ribbon-like protrusions. A total of three partial and one full 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences were obtained, and showed the highest identity (≥99 %) with Sarcocystis taeniata, a species described in moose (Alces alces). The morphological and molecular results indicate that red deer in Argentina are frequently infected with S. taeniata, a species for which the definitive host is unknown. The present results also confirm that Sarcocystis spp. using cervids as intermediate host are not host-specific. Further studies are needed to improve the epidemiological knowledge of Sarcocystosis in red deer.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Isidoro Ercoli for excellent technical assistance. The authors also thank hunters, hunting guides, park rangers, and farmers from the Nahuel Huapi National Park for providing assistance during field campaigns; the Weiss Smoking Plant at San Carlos de Bariloche city, for allowing access to red deer carcass; and the Argentinean National Park Administration (APN) for research permission (no. 721, no. 1339).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Patagonian Regional Office, National Park Administration/CCT-CONICET Northern Patagonia, Vice Almirante O’Connor 1188, San Carlos de Bariloche, 8400, Rio Negro, Argentina

    Elizabeth Chang Reissig

  2. Argentinean National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, CABA C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Elizabeth Chang Reissig & Gastón Moré

  3. Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata, Calle 60 y 118, PO Box 296, La Plata, 1900, Argentina

    Gastón Moré

  4. Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata, PO Box 296, La Plata, 1900, Argentina

    Adriana Massone

  5. California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino Branch, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 105 W Central Ave, San Bernardino, CA, 92408, USA

    Francisco A. Uzal

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Chang Reissig
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  2. Gastón Moré
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  3. Adriana Massone
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  4. Francisco A. Uzal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gastón Moré.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Wildlife Health Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, USA; the Rufford Small Grant for Nature Conservation, Rufford Foundation (RSG 3802–07, 5738–1, 15445-B), UK; the Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, National University of La Plata, Argentina; the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, University of California, San Bernardino, Davis, CA.

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Reissig, E.C., Moré, G., Massone, A. et al. Sarcocystosis in wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Patagonia, Argentina. Parasitol Res 115, 1773–1778 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-4915-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-4915-7

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