Molecular Screening of Plasmodium spp. in Free-Living Ring-Tailed Coatis (Nasua nasua) and Nine-Banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in the Peruvian Amazon
Ulloa, Gabriela M. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Greenwood, Alex D. (Freie Universität Berlin)
Cornejo, Omar E. (University of California Santa Cruz. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Monteiro, F.O.B (Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia)
Santolalla, Meddly L. (Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia)
Mayor Aparicio, Pedro Ginés (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)

Data:	2025
Resum:	Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are usually transmitted between mosquitoes and humans or non-human primates (NHPs). However, the role of other wild mammals as carriers remains poorly understood, especially in remote tropical forests. We analyzed blood samples from free-ranging ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua) and nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) hunted for subsistence in an Indigenous community of the Peruvian Amazon. DNA analysis revealed that coatis carried lineages identical to Plasmodium vivax/P. simium, the most common cause of human malaria in the region, and P. malariae/P. brasilianum, a species frequently found in Neotropical NHPs. These findings suggest that wild coatis may occasionally become infected with malaria parasites closely related to those infecting humans and NHPs. This study highlights the importance of extending wildlife surveillance beyond primates to improve understanding of malaria transmission at the human-wildlife interface. Identifying the diversity of wildlife hosts for malaria parasites in wildlife is crucial for understanding transmission dynamics in endemic regions where humans, vectors, and wildlife heavily overlap. We examined the presence of Plasmodium parasites in free-ranging ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua, n = 44) and nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus, n = 66) from an Indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon. Nested PCR targeting the mitochondrial cytb gene detected Plasmodium spp. DNA in two coatis (4. 7%). Sequencing revealed one lineage identical to Plasmodium vivax/P. simium and another to P. malariae/P. brasilianum. A subset of samples was reanalyzed using cox3 -based PCR and sequencing in an independent laboratory, confirming P. malariae/P. brasilianum in one coati. No infections were observed in armadillos. These results indicate that coatis in the wild may host diverse Plasmodiidae parasites and that coatis may even carry Plasmodium spp. , likely as incidental hosts. Expanding surveillance to additional non-primate mammals will help clarify their role in sylvatic malaria ecology and evaluate potential zoonotic risks.
Ajuts:	Instituto de Salud Carlos III 400800/2019-5
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Wildlife ; Malaria ; Zoonotic parasites ; Wildlife hosts ; Plasmodium ; One Health
Publicat a:	Animals, Vol. 15 (august 2025) , ISSN 2076-2615

DOI: 10.3390/ani15162413
PMID: 40867741

14 p, 598.4 KB

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