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Xenarthra mammals can be found from southern North America to southern South America, including all Brazilian biomes. Although it has been shown that Xenarthra mammals can play a role as reservoirs for several zoonotic agents, few studies investigate the diversity of piroplasmids (Apicomplexa: Piroplasmida) in this group of mammals. Taking into account that piroplasmids can cause disease in animals and humans, understanding the prevalence and diversity of piroplasmids in Xenarthra mammals would contribute to conservation efforts for this group of animals as well as to infer risk areas for transmission of emergent zoonosis. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence and molecular identity of piroplasmids in free-living mammals of the Superorder Xenarthra from four Brazilian states (Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, Rondônia, and Pará). For this, DNA was extracted from blood or spleen samples from 455 animals. A nested PCR based on the 18S rRNA gene was used as screening for piroplasmids. Of the 455 samples analyzed, 25 (5.5%) were positive. Additionally, PCR assays based on 18S rRNA near-complete, cox-1, cox-3, hsp70, cytB, β-tubulin genes and the ITS-1 intergenic region were performed. Five out of 25 positive samples also tested positive for ITS-1-based PCR. The phylogenetic analysis positioned three 18S rRNA sequences detected in Priodontes maximus into the same clade of Babesia sp. detected in marsupials (Didelphis albiventris, Didelphis marsupialis, and Monodelphis domestica) and Amblyomma dubitatum collected from opossums and coatis in Brazil. On the other hand, the 18S rRNA sequence obtained from Dasypus novemcinctus was closely related to a Theileria sp. sequence previously detected in armadillos from Mato Grosso State, grouping in a subclade within the Theileria sensu stricto clade. In the phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS-1 region, the sequences obtained from Myrmecophaga tridactyla and Tamandua tetradactyla were placed into a single clade, apart from the other piroplasmid clades. The present study demonstrated the molecular occurrence of Piroplasmida in anteaters and Babesia sp. and Theileria sp. in armadillos from Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amblyomma genus (Arachnida: Ixodidae) is widely distributed in South America, with 34 species occurring in Brazil. Amblyomma nodosum Neumann 1889 is a species that predominantly feeds on Passeriformes during immature stages (larvae and nymphs) and anteaters (Myrmecophagidae) during adult stages. The aim of the present study is to report, for the first time, an unusual case of parasitism by adults of A. nodosum on a yellow cururu toad (Rhinella icterica) captured in the city of Nossa Senhora da Glória, Sergipe state (Northeastern Brazil) in the Caatinga biome, and also investigate the presence of DNA of Rickettsia in the collected material. DNA was extracted from all specimens collected (N=8) and subjected to PCR assays based on the tick 16S rRNA endogenous gene and gltA gene for Rickettsia sp. All samples (8/8; 100%) were positive for the 16S rRNA endogenous gene and two amplicons (obtained from one male and one female) were purified and sequenced. The BLASTn analysis of the sequences revealed a high degree of similarity (95-100%) with A. nodosum sequences previously deposited on GenBank, while the phylogenetic analysis clustered the sequences obtained in the same clade as A. nodosum sequences from Brazil.