Trypanosoma sp. em jacaré, Caiman crocodilus yacare (Daudín, 1823) (Crocodilia: Alligatoridae)

Abstract

Natural infection of Trypanosoma sp. is described from the cayman, Caiman crocodilus yacare (Crocodilia: Alligatoridae) in Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. It is differentiated from Trypanosoma grayi, of the African crocodile, Crocodilus niloticus (Crocodilia: Crocodylidae) and from Trypanosoma cecili, of the South American cayman, Caiman crocodilus crocodilus, by its lesser size, more centrally placed nucleus, by the distance from posterior end to kinetoplast (PK) and by the distance from kinetoplast to middle of the nucleus (KN). The trypanosome produces no visible pathological effects in the host, and parasitaemias are extremely low.