Please cite this article in press as: de Miranda, R.L., et al., Oocysts of Hepatozoon canis in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus collected from a naturally infected dog. Vet. Parasitol. (2011), doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.01.044 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model VETPAR-5698; No. of Pages 5 Veterinary Parasitology xxx (2011) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Veterinary Parasitology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar Rapid communication Oocysts of Hepatozoon canis in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus collected from a naturally infected dog Renata Lima de Miranda a , Jacqueline Ribeiro de Castro b , Maria Marlene Martins Olegário b , Marcelo Emílio Beletti a , Antonio Vicente Mundim b , Lucia Helena O’Dwyer c , Osnat Eyal d , Dalit Talmi-Frank d , Márcia Cristina Cury a,∗ , Gad Baneth d a Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil b Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil c Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP – São Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil d School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel article info Article history: Received 8 September 2010 Received in revised form 19 January 2011 Accepted 23 January 2011 Keywords: Hepatozoonosis Vector Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus abstract Canine hepatozoonosis is a tick-borne disease caused by protozoans of the genus Hepato- zoon. Several tick species have been implicated as potential vectors. Therefore, extensive studies are needed to determine the ‘natural’ endemic cycle of this parasite. This paper presents the first report of the presence of Hepatozoon canis oocysts in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus collected from an infected dog. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Canine hepatozoonosis is a tick-borne disease caused by protozoans of the genus Hepatozoon, which are par- asites of peripheral blood leukocytes and canine tissues (Smith, 1996). Two species that infect dogs have been described: Hepatozoon canis and Hepatozoon americanum (Baneth et al., 2003, 2007). In Brazil, the species found in dogs is considered to be H. canis (O’Dwyer et al., 2001; Rubini et al., 2005) and infection is more common in rural areas than in urban environments (O’Dwyer et al., 2001). The transmission of Hepatozoon spp. to dogs is mediated by the ingestion of infected ticks, the definitive inver- tebrate host, in which the parasite develops the sexual phase of its life cycle. During the cycle in arthropod vec- ∗ Corresponding author at: Av Pará 1720, Bloco 4C, 38400902, Campus Umuarama, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Tel.: +55 34 32182198; fax: +55 34 32182333. E-mail address: cury@umuarama.ufu.br (M.C. Cury). tors, oocysts containing sporocysts and sporozoites are formed in the hemocoel and are transmitted when infected ticks are ingested by intermediate vertebrate hosts. Several tick species have been incriminated as potential vectors (Forlano et al., 2007); this paper reports on the presence of H. canis oocysts in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus collected from an infected dog. 2. Materials and methods In order to determine the prevalence of Hepatozoon sp. and possible tick vectors for hepatozoonosis in the area, rural dogs in the municipality of Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were examined for ticks. A semi-engorged R. (Boophilus) microplus female was collected. Using a stereo- scopic microscope, the tick was identified according to Barros-Battesti et al. (2006) in the Tick Laboratory at the Federal University of Uberlandia (Fig. 1). Blood in EDTA was collected from marginal ear veins of the dog on which the tick was found and from 6 other dogs in the same farm. 0304-4017/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.01.044