Renicola mirandariberoi (Digenea: Renicolidae) in the renal system of Sula leucogaster( Suliformes: Sulidae)
Wildilife conservation, wildlife medicine, veterinary pathology, wild avian diseases, seabirds, Sula leucogaster.
Numerous birds are found debilitated or dead along the Brazilian beaches due to anthropogenic actions, metabolic, infectious, and parasitic diseases. The present study aims to report renal parasitism caused by Renicola mirandaribeoi in Sula leucogaster found by the monitoring team of the Beach Monitoring Project of the Campos and Espirito Santo Basins (PMP BC/ES). A total of 43 S. leucogaster were subjected to necropsy histopathology between April 2021 and December 2023. Among these, 19 birds exhibited renal lesions caused by trematodes. Formalin-fixed renal tissue samples were dissected, and parasites were obtained for morphological identification. Paraffin blocks were dissected, and the trematode eggs were subjected to scanning electron microscopy. Morphological and morphometric characteristics of the parasites identified the species as Renicola mirandaribeoi. The primary renal histological finding was the dilation of collecting ducts. This study describes renal lesions in Sula leucogaster caused by Renicola mirandaribeoi.