Occurrence of IClostridium perfringens/I in Wild Mammals in the Amazon Biome

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 14; no. 9
• Main Authors: Oliveira, Hanna Gabriela da Silva, Sousa, Ananda Iara de Jesus, Zanon, Isabela Paduá, Lopes, Cinthia Távora de Albuquerque, Silva, Rodrigo Otavio Silveira, Domingues, Sheyla Farhayldes Souza, Salvarani, Felipe Masiero
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Biomes; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Brazil
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani14091333

Clostridium perfringens is a commensal bacterium of humans and other animals that can become pathogenic, causing myonecrosis and enteric diseases. Previous studies have reported C. perfringens infection in several wild animals as well as its presence as a commensal, but its role in animals of the Amazon region is largely unknown. Thus, this study investigated the occurrence of C. perfringens in samples from wild mammals treated at the Wild Animals Sector of the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Pará in the Amazon biome. The results demonstrate that C. perfringens type A was the only toxinotype isolated from mammals in the Amazon biome, demonstrating the importance of further studies on the topic in wild animals, their impacts and the diseases caused. The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of Clostridium perfringens in stool samples and swabs collected from wild mammals in the Amazon biome. Sixty-five faecal and swab samples were collected in situ and ex situ from 16 species and three genera of wild mammals, some of which were in good health and some of which had diarrhoea. After pre-enrichment, the samples were plated on selective agar for C. perfringens. Characteristic colonies were subjected to multiplex PCR for the detection of genes encoding the main C. perfringens toxins (alpha, beta, epsilon, and iota toxin and enterotoxin). Among the 65 samples, 40 (61.5%) were positive for the gene encoding the alpha toxin and were classified as type A, 36 of which were asymptomatic animals and four were diarrheal. No other toxinotypes were found. The findings of this study suggest that C. perfringens type A is commonly found in mammal species of the Amazon biome. This seems to be the first study to identify C. perfringens type A in species such as B. variegatus (common ground sloth), C. didactylus (two-toed sloth), P. flavus (Jupará), T. tetradactyla (anteater), S. collinsi (squirrel monkey), S. niger (black marmoset), and S. apella (Guyana capuchin) and in the genus Didelphis sp. (opossum).