Canine Parvovirus 2 in Free-Living Wild Mammals from Southern Brazil

Abstract

Pathogens from domestic canines represent a significant and constant threat to wildlife. This study looked for four common canine pathogens, Babesia vogeli, Ehrlichia canis, Leishmania infantum, and canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) in mammals from the Pampa Biome, southern Brazil. Animals killed by vehicular trauma on a road traversing this biome were evaluated over a 1-yr period. Tissues collected from 31 wild mammals and six dogs were further analyzed by specific real-time PCR assays for each pathogen. Babesia vogeli and L. infantum were not detected in any investigated animal. Ehrlichia canis was detected in one dog and CPV-2 in nine animals: four dogs, three white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris), one pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), and one brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). These results demonstrate the occurrence of important carnivore pathogens (E. canis and CPV-2) in domestic dogs and wild mammals from the Pampa Biome in southern Brazil.

Keywords: Babesia vogeli; Ehrlichia canis; Leishmania infantum; canine parvovirus.