Occurrence of helminths in southern tamanduas (Tamandua tetradactyla) that are roadkill victims on a highway in the state of Espírito Santo, Southeast Brazil.

Abstract

There is a scarcity of studies on the occurrence of endoparasites in tamanduas and limited use of roadkill carcasses of these animals for helminthological studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of helminths in southern tamanduas (Tamandua tetradactyla) that were victims of roadkill. Seven southern tamanduas, collected after being struck by vehicles, were the subject of this study. The animals were gathered by wildlife rescue teams and kept frozen (- 20ºC) until necropsy. Initially, the animals were cataloged according to identification code, date of death, sex, highway kilometer marker and direction, and the time they were found. They were then necropsied, and their gastrointestinal tracts were examined for helminths. The parasites were collected and identified based on their morphological characteristics using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that in three (42.8%) of the animals, gastrointestinal parasites were found attached to the mucosa of the small intestine. Morphological analysis of these helminths revealed the presence of acanthocephalans of the genus Gigantorhynchus and cestodes of the genus Mathevotaenia. SEM observations identified Gigantorhynchus echinodiscus as the species of acanthocephalan present. It was not possible to determine the lowest taxon for the cestodes found due to the absence of well-preserved specimens. The findings of this study highlight the importance of better scientific use of roadkill animal carcasses and represent the first record of Gigantorhynchus echinodiscus in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil.