Ocorrência de herpesvírus em mamíferos silvestres no Bioma Amazônia

Abstract

The Orthoherpesviridae family is abundant, with several members already identified in a wide range of domestic and wild mammals. Commonly associated with latent and recurrent infections, herpesviruses are highly host-specific, linked to their hosts through coevolution, and, in rarer cases, can be transmitted between individuals of distinct species through spillover events, enabling potential zoonotic transmission. In this study, a total of 92 tissue samples (spleen and lung) were collected from animals hunted in Indigenous communities in the state of Mato Grosso or roadkilled in the state of Pará. Sampled species included the red howler monkey (Alouatta guariba), collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu), gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis brevicaudata), crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), mouse opossum (Marmosa demerarae), gracile mouse opossum (Gracilinanus microtarsus), red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina), black bearded saki (Chiropotes satanas), common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), Guiana capuchin (Sapajus apella), wild marsupials (Monodelphis spp.), Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis), lowland paca (Cuniculus paca), brown-throated sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus), South American coati (Nasua nasua), white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), wild rodents (Akodon spp., Cavia spp., and Proechimys spp.), southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), Brazilian rabbit (Sylvilagus brasiliensis), and red brocket deer (Mazama americana). Herpesvirus detection was performed by Nested PCR targeting the herpesvirus DNA polymerase gene. Overall, 43.47% (40/92) of the samples tested positive, with 8.69% (8/92) from white-lipped peccaries, 6.52% (6/92) from brazilian porcupines, 6.52% (6/92) from pacas, 5.43% (5/92) from red howler monkeys, 3.26% (3/92) from Guiana capuchins, 2.17% (2/92) from southern tamanduas, 2.17% (2/92) from red brocket deer, and 1.08% (1/92) each from collared peccary, crab-eating fox, mouse opossum, black bearded saki, common opossum, ocelot, wild rodents, and Brazilian rabbit. These results represent the first detection of herpesviruses in collared peccaries, mouse opossums, black bearded sakis, Brazilian porcupines, pacas, southern tamanduas, and red brocket deer.