Caracterização morfológica e genotípica de Haemogregarina sp. (Adeleina: Haemogregarinidae) em Phrynops geoffroanus (Chelidae: Testudines) capturados no município de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

Abstract

Studies with freshwater turtle parasites are still few evaluated, constituting special importance for the management and conservation of the species, in addition, knowing parasite fauna is of great relevance from the evolutionary point of view, as it can help to understand the parasite-host relationships. Thus, our work was divided into two parts, the first being a bibliographic review on the state of the art in relation to the worldwide distribution of the occurrence of hemoparasite species in species of freshwater turtles (hosts). The second part aimed to characterize morphologically, morphometrically and genotypically the hemoparasites of the order Adeleina parasites of Phrynops geoffroanus captured in a periurban environment in the municipality of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Thirty specimens of P. geoffroanus were captured and blood samples were collected for blood smears and DNA extraction of their hemoparasites. A specimen that died during the process of capturing and collecting blood samples was necropsied and had fragments of its different organs analyzed in histological sections. In the blood samples, erythrocytic gametocytes compatible with representatives of Adeleina were observed. Meronts containing merozoites have been observed in histological sections of blood striated muscle. The DNA sequences obtained were aligned with Haemogregarina and Hepatozoon sequences available on GenBank and a maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed. The morphological, morphometric and genotypic characteristics suggest that the samples obtained belong to a new species of the genus Haemogregarina. However, the observation of other stages of erythrocytic development as well as the analysis of a greater number of sequences is necessary so that a new species can be proposed.