Nicoly Ferreira de Urzedo

Brazil has a high abundance of monkey species, including Mico melanurus. In general, primates are vulnerable to parasites owing to their behavior. We aimed to identify the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in M. melanurus in the Brazilian Cerrado and to perform morphometric and morphological analyses of these helminths. Helminths of 21 M. melanurus were collected from Cuiabá in the Brazilian Cerrado. The animals were found dead within the urban perimeter, necropsied, and tested for parasites. Parasites found in the gastrointestinal tract were fixed in 70% ethanol for morphological identification. We identified Trypanoxyuris spp. in two samples (mean intensity of 63 and mean abundance of 6.3) and Primasubulura jacchi in the other 18 samples (mean intensity of 34.22 and mean abundance of 30.8). One sample was deteriorated; therefore, it was not necropsied. P. jacchi infections in same cases are asymptomatic or have gastrointestinal signs such as diarrhea. Trypanoxyuris spp. are commonly found in the primates of Mato Grosso. Only these two parasites were identified, provided by a small parasite richness, and were associated with the impact of habitat fragmentation in an anthropized area, indicating an imbalance in the environment in which they lived.

The risk of zoonotic parasitic infections is closely linked to direct and indirect interactions between animals and humans. The mutual coexistence of species in public spaces predisposes individuals to gastrointestinal parasitosis owing to various social and hygienic-sanitary factors. This study aimed to assess the risk of environmental contamination by gastrointestinal parasites in fecal samples collected from parks and public squares in 18 municipalities located in a microregion of the central plateau of Brazil, correlating the collection with the population size of each municipality. We collected 536 soil fecal samples from 117 randomly selected public areas across a 56,111.874 km² region. Eggs, cysts, and oocysts were detected using the Willis flotation technique and the Hoffman’s spontaneous sedimentation method. The Hoffman’s analysis revealed that 70.3% of the fecal samples were infected across 91.5% of the sampled areas. Identified parasites included the members of the family Ancylostomatidae (56.5%), Toxocara spp. (6.2%), Trichuris spp. (1.7%), Strongyloides spp. (0.2%), Dipylidium caninum (25.8%), Spirometra spp. (0.4%), Taeniidae (0.2%), Platynosomum fastosum (0.6%), Trematoda (0.2%), Giardia spp. (3.2%), Cystoisospora spp. (5.6%), Sarcocystis spp. (0.2%), and Entamoeba spp. (2.4%). The presence of positive fecal samples in public areas and municipalities correlated with populations of up to 10,000 inhabitants (p = 0.023). Areas contaminated with feces were 63.4% more likely to contain parasites than other areas (odds ratio 1.6336). Favorable environmental factors combined with inadequate sanitary management contribute to a high risk of environmental contamination, representing a significant zoonotic potential and highlighting the need for improved public health policies and preventive measures.