Hepatozoon canis (James, 1905) (Adeleida: Hepatozoidae) em cães do Brasil, com uma revisão do gênero em membros da ordem carnívora

Abstract

In the course of studies on haemoparasites transmitted by ticks, Hepatozoon canis was observed for the first time as a natural infection of domestic dog in Brazil, at the experimental facilities of the Parasitology Department of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (municipality of Itaguaí, RJ). The parasite was observed in blood and organs smears coloured by the Giemsa method. The studies carried out with this parasite under both natural and experimental conditions, allow following conclusions: a) H. canis occurs in dogs in Brazil in both urban and rural areas, in simple infections of concurrently with Ehrlichia canis and Rangelia vitalii; b) in the States of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, the prevalence of H. canis varied between 15,07% and 30,0%; c) the prevalence of H. canis in rural areas (31,58%) is much greater than that in urban areas (4,48%); d) schizonts of H. canis were observed in the endotelial and epitelial cells the liver, spleen, 111 lungs and intestine of the dogs; e) the ticks, R. sanguineus and Amblyomma spp. (of the "ovale group") were encountered on dogs naturally infected with H. canis in urban and rural areas respectively. An extensive updated review is given of the genus Hepatozoon, including observations on transmission, measurements of the gametocytes, and the presence of schizonts in various membres of the ordem Carnivora together with records of the geographical distribution of the species of Hepatozoon in carnivores.