The entodiniomorph ciliates (Ciliophora: Entodiniomorphida) are endosymbiotes widely found in the intestines of herbivorous mammals. These commensals commonly occur in the Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla and have also been described in the Proboscidea, Primates, Rodentia, and Diprotodontia. This study reports the first finding of a ciliate in a member of order Carnivora, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus). Fecal samples from wild and captive maned wolves were screened using ethyl acetate sedimentation. Prevalence in fecal samples collected from free-ranging maned wolves in Brazil was 40% (6 of 15). Fecal samples from two of four captive individuals from the St. Louis Zoo also had the same species of ciliate. The largely frugivorous diet of the maned wolf likely explains the occurrence of these normally herbivore-associated endosymbiotes in a carnivore.
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1 June 2009
First Record of Entodiniomorph Ciliates in a Carnivore, the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), from Brazil
Carly Vynne,
John M. Kinsella
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Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
Vol. 40 • No. 2
June 2009
Vol. 40 • No. 2
June 2009
Carnivora
Chrysocyon brachyurus
ciliate
endosymbiote
entodiniomorph
maned wolf