title: Visceral leishmaniasis in the hoary zorro Dusicyon vetulus: a case of mistaken identity.
abstract: The historical identification of the Brazilian 'north-eastern' zorro as Dusicyon vetulus is questioned in relation to its incrimination as a reservoir of Leishmania chagasi, the agent of American visceral leishmaniasis. Comparative cranial and dental morphology showed that specimens of this north-eastern species more closely resemble the crab-eating zorro Cerdocyon thous, conforming with the documented geographical ranges of the respective species. We conclude that the single 'wild' canid host of L. chagasi in the neotropics in C. thous.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Courtenay
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001699:Biometry; D001938:Brazil; D002508:Cephalometry; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005589:Foxes / Q000145:classification*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary*; D009811:Odontometry