First report of free-ranging maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) coinfected with Dioctophyma renale and Pearsonema sp. in Brazil

The manned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) has a highly diversified diet, that includes fish and amphibians, which may harbor infective forms of parasites, such as Dioctophyma renale and Pearsonema (syn. Capillaria) spp. Both parasites affect the urinary tract of their hosts, with D. renale being capable of infecting a wide range of mammalian species, whereas Pearsonema spp. exclusively parasitizes wild and domestic canids and felids, releasing their eggs in the urine of the host. This study reports the first coinfection by D. renale and Pearsonema sp. in the urine of a free-ranging maned wolf as well as associated laboratory findings. A male adult maned wolf, injured in a train accident in an urban area, was referred to the Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres (CETAS) - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where hemogram, biochemistry, ultrasonography, and urinalysis were performed. Ultrasonography examination revealed findings consistent with parasitism by D. renale in the right kidney and right perirenal region. Urinary sediment examination showed D. renale (5/field) and Pearsonema sp. eggs (1/field). Egg morphometry was performed, yielding mean length and width values of 62.2 μm and 41.2 μm for D. renale and 58.0 μm and 26.1 μm for Pearsonema sp., respectively. Through sediment examination and morphometry, it was possible to confirm Pearsonema sp. and D. renale infection, the latter also confirmed by ultrasonography, highlighting the importance of urinalysis in wild animals and demonstrating the need for continuous investigation into Pearsonema spp. which are poorly studied in wild canids.