Helmintofauna com potencial zoonótico em ratos urbanos: uma análise em bairros de Belém-PA

Abstract

Urban rodents are denominated sinanthropes, commensal, due to their assosciation to human species and for depend of anthropic environment for survive. Historically, these animals are recognized as transmitter’s agents of diseases for humans and domestic animals, since Black Death, in XIV century. However, urban rats transmit many other parasites beyond the bacteria Yersinia pestis, they hot and transmit helminths, however more studies must be developed, after Abu-Madi (2005). The present work intends to accomplish a survey of the helminth fauna of urban rats with zoonotic potential in the districts of Belém-Pa. In the year of preparation of the project (2008), Guamá and Montese (Terra Firme) districts were selected, these two districts with a high index of leptospirosis (SINAN, 2007) and with poor sanitation and garbage accumulation close to houses (clues to rodents presence). In these districts, 16 rodents of genus Rattus were captured, of distinct sex and reproductive age. Captured animals were necropsied at Biotério of ICB/UFPA and helminths found were colleted for studies and identification of species at LBCH-UFPA. Two of the species identified with zoonotic potential, Calodium hepaticum and Angiostrongylus cantonensis, have a worldwide distribution and have Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus as main definitive hosts. Calodium hepaticum is a trichurid nematode that parasitizes the hepatic parenchyma, with capacity to infect many species of mammals, including human. However, this finding is rare. Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasite of the pulmonar artery of rodents that, in humans, have their life cycle interrupted during the passage to central nervous system, giving risc to a local inflammatory process known as eosinophilic meningitis, a disease considered endemic in asian countries, with reported cases in Brazil, in Espirito Santo and Pernambuco. This is the first record of these helminths in rats from Belém, that contributes for mapping of occurrence these nematodes and serves as alerts to public health about these zoonosis that urban population and their visitors are exposed.