Preparing Collared Peccary ( Pecari tajacu Linnaeus, 1758) for Reintroduction into the Wild: A Screening for Parasites and Hemopathogens of a Captive Population

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 47
• Main Authors: Silveira, Júlia Angélica Gonçalves da, Moreira, Simone Magela, Nascimento, Ariane Flávia do, Oliveira, Marco Miguel de, Santos, Hudson Andrade Dos, Estevam, Letícia Gracielle Tôrres de Miranda, Pereira, Carine Rodrigues, Oliveira, Anna Gabriela Guimarães, D'Elia, Mirella Lauria, Araujo, Andreina de Carvalho, Silva, Juliana Macedo Magnino
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.01.2024
• Subjects: Animals; Biodiversity; biodiversity conservation; captive breeding; Captive wild animals; Captivity; Care and treatment; Control; Diagnosis; Domestic animals; Ecosystems; Ectoparasites; Endangered species; Entamoeba polecki; Environmental protection; Feeds; Food; Fruits; Genetic diversity; Habitats; Indigenous species; Iodamoeba; Leishmania braziliensis; parasite load; Parasites; Parasitic diseases; Parks & recreation areas; Pathogens; Pecari tajacu; Peccaries; Population studies; Populations; Reintroduction; Roads & highways; Tayassu; tayassuidae; Wildlife conservation; Brazil; Atlantic Forest; biodiversity conservation; captive breeding; tayassuidae; parasite load
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13010047

The reintroduction of captive animals to the wild helps restore endangered species, but it risks pathogen transmission, harming wild populations. Such transmission can impact the genetic diversity and long-term viability of these populations. This study assessed parasite diversity and load in captive , a species native to the Americas and culturally significant to Brazilian indigenous culture, prior to reintroduction. Samples from 24 peccaries were analyzed for ectoparasites, hemopathogens, and stool parasites with direct and molecular analysis. Findings showed that various parasites were present. Two peccaries (8.3%) were infested by the adult tick . Six (25.0%) tested positive for , four (16.7%) for hemobacteria of the family Anaplasmataceae, twelve (50.0%) for hemotropic , and seven (29.2%) for . Stool samples indicated multiple parasites, with sixteen (66.7%) peccaries infected by Strongylida order parasites, Spiruridae in three (12.5%), and in one (4.2%) animal. Cysts of sp. were found in twenty (83.3%), in five (20.8%), and in two (8.3%) peccaries. To our current knowledge, this is the first global report of , , and in , irrespective of the environment, including both captivity and wild conditions. Some of these parasites are common in domestic animals, and others are zoonotic, indicating potential interspecies pathogen transmission.