Occurrence of pseudoparasite coccidians in carnivores

Abstract

The aim of this research study was to report the occurrence of pseudoparasites in three species of carnivores (Felis catus, Lycalopex gymnocercus and Canis lupus familiaris) in the southern region of Brazil. Fecal samples collected in the routine examination of the animals were analyzed by the centrifugal flotation technique with zinc sulfate. Sporulated and nonsporulated oocysts of coccidia of the family Adeleidae were observed in the feces of the domestic cat and pampas-fox. Oocysts of Eimeria sp. were present in the dog feces. Although not pathogenic for these host species, these oocysts can be easily confounded with other virulent coccidian when present in their nonsporulated form.