Trypanosomatids in dogs belonging to individuals with chronic Chagas’ disease living in Botucatu town and surrounding region, São Paulo State, Brazil

Abstract

Among domestic animals, dogs are considered to be the major reservoirs of trypanosomatids and, due to their proximity to man, the presence of these parasites in dogs is an alert to actions aiming at triatomine control. Fifty dogs (26 males and 24 females), aged from 2 months to 15 years, belonging to 30 chronic Chagas' disease individuals from 15 different municipalities in the western region of São Paulo State, Brazil, were subjected to blood collection for the following tests: artificial xenodiagnosis, blood culture, and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Fortythree (86%) out of 50 dogs were positive to at least one of the tests performed; 34 (68%) were positive to xenodiagnosis, 30 (60%) to blood culture, and 25 (50%) to PCR for T. cruzi and/or T. rangeli. Although triatomines were not detected during the intra and peridomiciliary inspections in the dog owners' residences, the results obtained demonstrate that there is a transmission cycle whereby triatomine vector may be participating in the infection epidemiological chain.

Active surveillance of canine visceral leishmaniasis and american trypanossomiasis in rural dogs from non endemic area

“…The seroprevalence for T. cruzi among the samples analyzed in the present study was 0.4%, which was lower than what was reported from Botucatu by Lucheis et al (2005), among dogs whose owners had Chagas disease.…”

“…Dogs have great potential as reservoirs since they come into direct contact with wild reservoirs of the disease (MAYWALD et al, 1996;LUCHEIS et al, 2005).…”

Prevalence and risk factors for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease in the canine population of the tourist city of Ibiúna, São Paulo, Brazil

“…However, lower positivity values were observed by Silva (2002) in Porto Alegre, RS (3.3%), and by Troncarelli et al (2009) in Botucatu, SP (4%). In contrast, much higher levels of prevalence were found by Diosque et al (2004) in the province of Chaco, Argentina (15.09%), Gürtler et al (1991) in Santiago del Estero, Argentina (39.8%), Troncarelli et al (2009) in Bauru, SP, with 40%, and by Lucheis et al (2005), who reported 86% seropositive dogs belonging to individuals with chronic Chagas in Botucatu, SP.…”

“…Dogs can also carry the disease from endemic to non-endemic areas, creating new outbreaks (GÜRTLER et al, 2007). In Brazil, canine infection has been widely reported by Lucheis et al (2005), Troncarelli et al (2009), andMendes et al (2013). This confirms that the dog is an epidemiological link that maintains the interaction of wild and domestic transmission cycles, but few studies have been conducted in order to elucidate the importance of canine Chagas infection.…”

Canine trypanosomiasis: etiology of infection and implications for public health

“…According to DantasTorres (32), T. rangeli can be transmitted by both saliva and feces. In Brazil, T. cruzi and T. rangeli have been detected in naturally infected dogs and marsupials, respectively (20,33,34). The simultaneous presence of these parasites in the same geographic region allows mixed infection in vertebrate and invertebrate hosts (35).…”