Low helminth richness in a Mico melanurus population: morphological and diagnostic data from a fragmented urban area of Brazilian Cerrado.

Primasubulura jacchi is the dominant gastrointestinal helminth in urban free-ranging Mico melanurus, with notably low overall parasite richness.

This observational study investigated gastrointestinal helminth parasites in 21 free-ranging Mico melanurus (black-tailed marmosets) from an urbanized area of the Brazilian Cerrado biome in Cuiabá, Brazil. Specimens were collected opportunistically from animals found dead between October 2020 and February 2022, following the 3Rs principles to minimize impact on wild populations. Postmortem necropsies and parasitological screenings were performed, with gastrointestinal parasites fixed in 70% ethanol for morphological and morphometric identification. Only two helminth species were identified across all 21 animals: Trypanoxyuris spp., recovered from 2 individuals (mean intensity 63, mean abundance 6), and Primasubulura jacchi, recovered from the remaining 19 individuals (mean intensity 58.2, mean abundance 52.7). The notably low helminth richness observed is hypothesized to reflect the ecological consequences of habitat fragmentation and anthropization, which may disrupt normal host-parasite dynamics by limiting exposure to intermediate hosts or reducing biodiversity within the ecosystem. For wildlife veterinarians, these findings establish baseline parasitological data for M. melanurus in urbanized Cerrado environments. Clinically, this information is valuable for interpreting gastrointestinal disease presentations, conducting parasite surveillance, and informing health monitoring programs. The dominance of P. jacchi as the primary helminth species across most individuals makes it a key consideration in parasitological assessments for this primate species in similar urban-fragmented habitats.

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