The role of pacas of captivity as a potential reservoir of zoonotic fungi in Acre, Western Amazon, Brazil

Wild animals can be natural reservoirs of different microorganisms, essential for monitoring these pathogens for the generation of knowledge and creation of tools aimed at programs for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including zoonoses. The objective was to report the fungal dive...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tallison Filipe Lima de Oliveira, Tamyres Izarelly Barbosa da Silva, Vania Maria França Ribeiro, Girclyhanne da Costa Costa, Jhonatan Henrique Lima da Rocha, Marcos Bruno Zacarias Campelo, Breno Kalyl Freitas Nascimento, Sandra Albuquerque Lima Ribeiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2023-08-01
Series:Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science
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Online Access:https://www.revistas.usp.br/bjvras/article/view/203984
Description
Summary:Wild animals can be natural reservoirs of different microorganisms, essential for monitoring these pathogens for the generation of knowledge and creation of tools aimed at programs for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, including zoonoses. The objective was to report the fungal diversity in the skin of pacas in captivity in Acre, Western Amazon, Brazil. Twenty-six animals were evaluated, from which skin samples were collected by superficial scraping, hair avulsion, and sterile plastic brush. The samples were seeded on Mycosel agar, and the phenotypic characteristics of the colonies were analyzed. In 80.8% of the samples, different fungi were isolated, from the genera Candida, Microsporum, and Trichophyton, among others. This is the first description of the identification of fungi in the skin of pacas and suggests that these animals can be considered essential reservoirs of saprophytic or pathogenic microorganisms with zoonotic potential in the Western Amazon.
ISSN:1413-9596
1678-4456