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Case Reports
. 2025 Apr 8:47:e008924.
doi: 10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm008924. eCollection 2025.

Ascaris lumbricoides infection in captive black sakis (Chiroptes utahickae): a case report and implications for zoonotic transmission

Bruna Emely Pereira Barbosa  1 , Arthur Carlos da Trindade Alves  2 , Bernardo de Paula Miranda  2 , Beatriz Araújo Dos Santos  3 , Agatha Campinho Belsito  4 , Isadora de Fátima Braga Magalhães  4   5 , Luciano Antunes Barros  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Ascaris lumbricoides infection in captive black sakis (Chiroptes utahickae): a case report and implications for zoonotic transmission

Bruna Emely Pereira Barbosa et al. Braz J Vet Med. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Ascaris lumbricoides infections represent a major global health challenge, affecting both humans and non-human primates. In non-human primates, A. lumbricoides infections pose a significant threat to conservation efforts, as they can impact both captive and wild populations, causing complications ranging from mild to severe. This study reports the case of two black sakis (Chiroptes utahickae) kept under human care in a zoo-a male and a female-presented for routine examination due to weight loss. Ultrasonography revealed a substantial intestinal infestation of large roundworms. The female was treated with pyrantel pamoate, and the male with fenbendazole, both with successful outcomes. The worms were sent for morphological and molecular identification, and the animals were submitted for new examinations. This case underscores the importance of preventive veterinary check-ups in zoos, particularly for parasites that pose zoonotic risks, to ensure both animal and human health.

Infecções por Ascaris lumbricoides representam um grande desafio para a saúde global, afetando tanto humanos quanto primatas não humanos. Em primatas não humanos, essas infecções representam uma ameaça significativa para os esforços de conservação, pois podem impactar tanto populações cativas quanto selvagens, causando complicações que variam de leves a graves. Este estudo relata o caso de dois cuxiús-pretos (Chiropotes utahickae) mantidos sob cuidados humanos em um zoológico—um macho e uma fêmea—apresentados para exame de rotina devido à perda de peso. A ultrassonografia evidenciou uma infestação intestinal substancial por vermes redondos de grande porte. A fêmea foi tratada com pamoato de pirantel e o macho com fenbendazol, ambos com sucesso. Os helmintos foram enviados para identificação morfológica e molecular, e os animais foram submetidos a novos exames. Este caso destaca a importância de check-ups veterinários preventivos em zoológicos, especialmente para parasitas com potencial zoonótico, a fim de garantir a saúde humana e animal.

Keywords: parasitism; primates; zoonosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interests: BEPB, ACTA, BPM, BAS, ACB, IFBM, LAB – No conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Thoracic radiographs of anesthetized male (A and B) and female (C and D) Chiroptes utahickae kept under human care in a zoo showing age-related slight bronchial patterns. Ventrodorsal views (A and C) and lateral views (B and D).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Ultrasonographic images of intestinal nematodes in transverse section (red arrowhead) and longitudinal section (yellow arrowhead) in jejunal segments of two black sakis. Female (A) and male (B).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides in a fresh Chiroptes utahickae fecal sample, coproparasitological examination (Faust technique). Optical microscopy, 40x magnification (+2x digital zoom from a cell phone camera).
Figure 4
Figure 4. Adults of Ascaris lumbricoides preserved in ethanol 70% for morphological identification.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Evidentiation of the trilabial anterior extremity of an adult Ascaris lumbricoides specimen.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Electrophoresis gel showing PCR results for Ascaris lumbricoides detection through the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. (A) Lanes 1 and 2 display amplification of the ITS1 region from Ascaris samples, with lane 3 being the negative control; (B) Lanes 1 and 2 show amplification of the ITS2 region from Ascaris samples, with lane 3 as the negative control. Molecular weight markers (100 bp ladder, Ludwig) indicate the 500-base pair position highlighted in the figure.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Phylogenetic tree of Ascaris spp. using the partial sequence of the ITS-1 gene. All accession numbers correspond to different isolates, followed by their host and GenBank database accession number. The newly generated sequence from this study is marked with a solid black circle.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Phylogenetic tree of Ascaris spp. using the partial sequence of the ITS-2 gene. All accession numbers correspond to different isolates, followed by their host and GenBank database accession number. The newly generated sequence from this study is marked with a solid black circle.
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