Introduction
A single family (Dasypodidae), autochthonous to South America, with
twenty species and nine genera (Messias-Costa et al., 2001), composes
the order Cingulata (armadillos). This order is part of the super-order
Xenarthra that, together with the marsupials, are the oldest mammals in
the history of South America (Wetzel, 1982). Armadillos belong to a
basal mammalian group that represents 0.5% of the existing mammals.
This primitive group varies widely, from the pink fairy armadillo
(Chlamyphorus truncatus, Harlan, 1825) weighing just 90 grams, to
the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus Kerr 1792) weighing up to
50 kg (Emmons and Feer, 1997). Furthermore, armadillos have unusual
physiologic characteristics, such as low body temperature and low basal
metabolic rates, when compared to other placental mammals with similar
body mass (McNab, 1985). Armadillos are specialist diggers and their
burrows are used to hide their babies, protect from predators and for
food.
Armadillos live and dig burrows in organic or inorganic matter, under a
variety of biotic and abiotic conditions. Desbiez and Kluyber (2013)
described that giant armadillos dig burrows that are used by more than
54 vertebrates, such as tamanduas (Tamandua tetradactyla ),
ocelots (Leopardus pardalis ), tayras (Eira barbara ), wild
peccaries (Tayassu pecari and Pecari tajacu ), rodents and
marsupials. This intimate contact with different species may cause the
armadillos to acquire infectious agents, including the zoonotics.
Humans have a direct relationship with armadillos causing negative
impacts on populations, usually killing them for cultural beliefs,
poaching for medicine, or hunting for handcrafted musical instrument,
especially in Latin America (Rodrigues et al., 2019). In South America,
armadillos are hunted for food due to their taste and high protein
level, and are considered relevant species for public health (Deps et
al., 2008, Richini-Pereira et al., 2009).
In 1912, Carlos Chagas identified the nine-banded armadillo
(Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758) as one of the reservoirs
for Trypanosoma cruzi , the parasite that causes Chagas Disease
(Chagas, 1912). This armadillo species is also considered the main host
of Leishmania naiffi (Lainson et al., 1981). Mycobacterium
leprae , responsible to cause Hanseniasis in humans, is the most studied
agent in armadillos, especially in D . novemcinctus and has
been described infecting wild armadillos since the 70’s (Walsh et al.,
1975). Also in the 70’s, Sogorb et al. (1977) highlighted that
armadillos could act as intermediate host for Toxoplasma gondii ,
responsible for toxoplasmosis. The geophilic and thermo dimorphic
fungus, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis , which causes systemic
mycosis in humans, was found infecting armadillos in several endemic
areas of Latin America, including Brazil (Bagagli et al., 2008).
Finally, multiple studies also described armadillos as potential
reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens (da Silva et al., 2008; Bagagli and
Bosco, 2008; Truman et al., 2011).
As a part of the Xenarthra Health initiative of the Giant Armadillo
Conservation Program, the present study was developed with the aim to
diagnose five zoonotic parasites (T. gondii, T. cruzi, Leishmaniaspp., Paracoccidioides spp., and M. leprae ) in four
wild-caught armadillo species (Cabassous unicinctus Linnaeus,
1758, Dasypus novemcinctus , Euphractus sexcinctusLinnaeus, 1758 and P. maximus Kerr 1792 ) in the midwestern
Brazil.