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Abstract Didelphis marsupialis is a marsupial species that effectively adapts to synanthropic processes developing in cities. This marsupial lives closely with domestic animals and humans, which has favored the active exchange of parasites, thus increasing polyparasitism. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of helminths and protozoans infecting D. marsupialis in the Corregimiento of Santa Elena, Medellín. Twenty-three individuals were captured and classified as male, female, adult, or juvenile. The fecal samples were analyzed using various coprodiagnostic techniques. The eggs and oocysts were identified by microscopic evaluation of their morphology and morphometry. Twelve parasite species were identified: nine nematodes, one acanthocephalan, and two protozoans. In addition, an Adeleid coccidia considered pseudoparasite was found. The most prevalent parasite species (>50%) were Eimeria sp, Cruzia sp., Aspidodera sp., and Gnathostoma turgidum, and nematode larvae. No significant differences were observed between parasite prevalence and host sex or age. Parasites of public health interest, such as Trichuris spp., Capillariidae nematodes, Strongyloides spp., and Giardia spp., were also identified. This study confirmed that the urban habitat of the opossum has a high frequency and diversity of endoparasites, some of which have been reported for the first time in Colombia.

Abstract Protozoan parasites of the genus Sarcocystis are obligatory heteroxenous cyst-forming coccidia that infect a wide variety of animals and encompass approximately 200 described species. At least four Sarcocystis spp. (S. falcatula, S. neurona, S. lindsayi and S. speeri) use opossums (Didelphis spp.) as definitive hosts, and two of them, S. neurona and S. falcatula, are known to cause disease in horses and birds, respectively. Opossums are restricted to the Americas, but their distribution in the Americas is heterogeneous. Five Didelphis spp. are distributed in South America (D. aurita, D. albiventris, D. marsupialis, D. imperfecta and D. pernigra) whereas just one opossum species (D. virginiana) is found in North America. Studies conducted in the last decades show that Sarcocystis spp., derived from South American Didelphis spp., have biological and genetic differences in relation to Sarcocystis spp. shed by the North American opossum D. virginiana. The aim of this review was to address the peculiar scenario of Sarcocystis species shed by South American opossums, with a special focus on diagnosis, epidemiology, and animal infections, as well as the genetic characteristics of these parasites.

Bovine neosporosis is a parasitic disease with worldwide distribution that causes important economic losses. Because of the limited information on the occurrence of Neospora caninum infection in Colombia, this study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and identify the risk factors associated with this infection in cattle in Antioquia, which is the largest milk-producing state in the country. We collected 1,038 blood samples from Holstein, Jersey and crossbred cows from 31 farms. An epidemiologic questionnaire was given to all the owners. A commercial ELISA kit was used as the diagnostic technique. The occurrence of anti-N. caninum antibodies was determined to be 28.3% (294/1038), and 100% of the screened farms were positive, indicating that all the properties had at least one positive animal. The seropositivity within each farm ranged from 5.5% to 50%. A multivariable logistic regression model identified the following as significant risk factors: history of abortion (OR = 5.33, p