Parasitic infections, hematological and biochemical parameters suggest appropriate health status of wild coati populations in anthropic Atlantic Forest remnants

Abstract

Coatis are hosts of a great diversity of parasites, that due to anthropic pressures in forest fragments, like changes in landscapes and ecosystems, can influence the dynamics and physiological responses to those parasite infections, affecting the animal's health and fitness. This is the first study about health parameters and parasitic infections of wild coati (Nasua nasua) populations in the Atlantic Forest (Pernambuco Center of Endemism). The following hypotheses were evaluated: (i) infections and co-infections by gastrointestinal parasites and ectoparasites can generate changes in the health parameters of coatis such as the body condition score (BCS), packed cell volume (PCV), leukogram, and serum protein profile; (ii) biological aspects (sex and age) or fragment they inhabit, can influence changes in the health parameters (BCS, PCV, leukogram and serum protein profile). Were studied 55 free-living coatis in three anthropized forest remnants in the Metropolitan Region of Recife. After chemical containment, the animals were submitted to physical examination and collection of biological samples (blood, feces, and ectoparasites). On the physical examination, 23.6% of coatis had a low BCS and 5.4% were overweighted. Amblyomma spp. ticks were found in 83.6% of the animals of all studied remnants, A. sculptumAmblyomma sculptum in 12.7% and A. ovale in 1.8%. Regarding gastrointestinal parasites, Ancylostoma sp. was the most prevalent (80.4%) and most animals (66.7%) had co-infection with Ancylostoma sp. and Capillaria sp., Strongyloides sp., Acanthocephala, Cestoda, and Coccidia. The 76.5% of the coatis presented co-infections with Ancylostoma spp. + Amblyomma spp. Principal coordinates analyses (PCoA) scores of health parameters were used as dependent variables and fragment, sex, age, Ancylostoma sp. infection, gastrointestinal parasites co-infection, Amblyomma spp. infestation and co-infection of Ancylostoma sp. + Amblyomma spp. as a predictor variable in the linear models. Parasites did not influence the PCV of the individuals, but a decrease was evident in adult animals. Variations in protein profile, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, without leaving the normal range for the species, but WBC were predicted by age group, and infections by Ancylostoma or Amblyomma spp., but not their co-infections. The free-living coati populations of the anthropized remnants in the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil proved to be healthy and seem to be adapted to face the challenges of anthropization and parasitic infections.

Keywords: Conservation medicine; Health parameters; Nasua nasua; Parasites; Procyonidae.