title: Caryospora bigenetica (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) in South America: new hosts and distribution records.
abstract: The coccidian Caryospora bigenetica was first described in the snake Crotalus horridus (Viperidae) from United States of America. This study represents the first record of the occurrence of C. bigenetica in snakes in South America. Feces were sampled between November 2013 and May 2014 from 256 wild snakes maintained in scientific breeding facilities in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS; n = 214) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ; n = 42), Brazil. Caryospora bigenetica was found in 14 (5.6%) snakes, all belonging to the family Viperidae. Ten Bothrops moojeni and two Crotalus durissus from MS were infected. The coccidian was also found in one C. durissus and in one Bothrops jararacussu from the state of RJ. The oocysts were spherical with a double wall, the exterior lightly mammillated, striations apparent in transverse view, 13.0 µm (12 - 14); polar granule fixed in the internal wall. Sporocysts oval or pyriform, 10.0 × 8.0 µm (9 - 11 × 8 - 9); Stieda body discoid; sub-Stieda body present; sporocyst residuum present, formed by a group of spheroid bodies between sporozoites. This study increases the number of viperid hosts of C. bigenetica and expands the geographical distribution to South America.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Parasitologia Veterinária, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Lúcio André
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Kamilla Costa
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Mecchi
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Leonardo França
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: do Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Heitor Miraglia
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Paula Helena
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Santa-Rita
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcos Tobias de Santana
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Miglionico
authors.affiliation: Divisão de Zoologia Médica, Instituto Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rhaiza Gama
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Esteves
authors.affiliation: Divisão de Zoologia Médica, Instituto Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Anibal Rafael Melgarejo
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gimenez
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Parasitologia Veterinária, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paiva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D021743:Eimeriidae / Q000502:physiology*; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology; D017819:Viperidae / Q000469:parasitology*