Mammalian wildlife diseases as hazards to man and livestock in an area of the Llanos Orientales of Colombia.

Development of the LLanos Orientales of Colombia, and access to underdeveloped areas in the Llanos, may create disease hazards to man and domestic animals or introduce exotic pathogens, creating reservoirs of infection for domestic animals and acting as limiting factors on the native wild species. A survey of wild animals common to the Llanos revealed a number of parasites indigenous to the area. A total total of 59 mammalian species, representing eight orders were examined. Haematozoa were represented by Trypanosoma cruzi, T. evansi and T. rangeli. Eight species of ticks were found: Amblyomma cajennense, A. auricularium, A. rotundatum, A. maculatum, A. longirostre, A. pacae, Ixodes luciae and Boophilus microplus. Four species of fleas were found: Rhopalopsyllus lugubris lugubris, R. australis tupinus, R. cacicus saevus and Polygenis klagesi samuelis. A species of Echinococcus was commonly found in Cuniculus paca. Serologic titers and/or isolations of pathogenic viral and bacterial agents generally indicated that the wildlife population had not been exposed to the diseases common to the domestic population. A low prevalence of titers to Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis was found in Cebus apella and Proechimys sp. Neutralizing antibodies to Group B viruses were found in Proechimys sp., Coendor sp. and Nectomys squamipes. Antibodies to Group C viruses were found in Proechimys sp. Serologic titers to Leptospira sejroe and L. tarassovi were found in Proechimys sp. and Didelphis marsupialis. L. tarassovi was isolated from Proechimys sp. Titers to Brucella were not found in 1964 animals. The significance of these findings are discussed.