Horses are no stranger to the Pantanal and as we heard from Dr. Bob there is a very popular cowboy culture in this area of Brazil. However there are some microbial threats to this culture in the form of a parasite called Trypanosoma evansi. This small parasite causes a disease known as Mal das Caderas in Latin America and infects many mammals as it is transmitted through a blood sucking insect. It can cause swelling of the brain in horses among many other symptoms in horses (anemia, anorexia, dehydration, fever, loss of appetite, and incoordination, followed by paralysis of the hind limbs). 10 years ago this parasite was restricted to the region of Mato Grosso, where the Pantanal is, but now is found all over Brazil. It has caused many isolated outbreaks with high mortality.
In addition, many mammals in the region such as capybaras act as reservoirs for this parasite.
This specific Typanosome does not infect humans but there is another type, Trypanosoma cruzi, that does infect humans and causes Chagas disease.
Read more about this parasite in horses in the Pantanal here
-Martell
I had no idea that this threat to horses and the cowboy culture existed in the Pantanal! Some follow-up questions could be, how did this parasite originate? And, how exactly did it spread from the Pantanal to the rest of Brazil? I also wonder if this parasite poses a significant threat to the current horse population or if it is a relatively minor outbreak.
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I had never heard about this particular microbial threat to horses! Some questions (other than what Gwynn has already asked): 1) Has it been studied extensively in a research setting to understand more of its pathogenesis? 2) What other diseases are prevalent in this area? From a health/ safety perspective and as students studying animals in the Pantanal, it will be interesting to know what viruses/ bacteria/ microbes are present in this area!
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