Combined Use of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Flow Cytometry To Detect Antibodies toTrypanosoma cruziin Domestic Canines in Texas

Abstract

Canines may be sentinels and/or reservoirs for human Trypanosoma cruzi exposures. This study adapted a method originally designed for human diagnostics to detect serum immunoglobulin G to T. cruzi in canines. The method combined an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for screening and flow cytometry detection of anti-live trypomastigote antibodies (ALTA) for confirmation. The assays were optimized by using known positive and negative control canine sera, and cutoff values were established. The ELISA and ALTA assay easily distinguished between reactive (positive controls) and nonreactive (negative controls) sera and were used to test sera collected in a cross-sectional seroprevalence survey of 356 domestic canines from Harris County, Tex., and the surrounding area. Fifty-three (14.9%) of 356 asymptomatic canines in the survey were positive by ELISA, and 5 (1.4%) were confirmed positive with the ALTA assay, with an additional 4 (1.1%) canines classified as "suspect positive." Thus, the overall prevalence of T. cruzi antibodies in this population was 2.6%. This is the first U.S. study to use the combination of ELISA and ALTA to detect serum antibodies to T. cruzi and the first report of the prevalence of T. cruzi infection in domestic canines in the Houston, Tex. (Harris County), region. Our results demonstrate that the combination of ELISA and ALTA has been successfully adapted for use in testing canines for serological evidence of T. cruzi infection. Seroprevalence survey results suggest that T. cruzi antibody-positive domestic canines in the peridomestic setting are present in the Houston, Tex., region and further suggest that T. cruzi is enzootic in the region.

Home invasion of triatomines increases the risk of Chagas disease transmission in the Brazilian Amazon

“…The dog is a host of T. cruzi defined as the main domestic reservoir in several countries [38]. In the context of the home environment, raising domestic animals is part of the interviewees' daily life, just as these animals live around communities.…”

Sylvatic Transmission ofTrypanosoma cruziAmong Domestic and Wildlife Reservoirs in Texas,USA: A Review of the Historical Literature

“…Our current knowledge of T. cruzi transmission dynamics between triatomine and mammals in Texas is still in its infancy. While it has been well documented that triatomine bugs are endemic in Texas with over half typically found to be T. cruzi positive (Kjos et al, 2009;Curtis-Robles et al, 2015;Wozniak et al, 2015), the appropriate studies designed to fully understand the burden of disease among the Texas wildlife, domestic animal and human populations have not yet been Packchanian, 1942;Burkholder et al, 1980 Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) 71/399 18 Packchanian, 1942;Eads et al, 1963 Raccoon (Procyon lotor) 24/54 44 Schaffer et al, 1978;Burkholder et al, 1980;Charles et al, 2013 Packchanian, 1942;Eads and Hightower, 1952;Pippin, 1970;Burkholder et al, 1980;Ikenga and Richerson, 1984;Pinto et al, 2010;Charles et al, 2013 Burkholder et al, 1980;Ikenga and Richerson, 1984;Meurs et al, 1998;Beard et al, 2003;Shadomy et al, 2004;McPhatter et al, 2012;Tenney et al, 2014 Activities that require frequent contact with domestic and wild animals could elevate the risk for human infections. Hunters have been recognized as a potential high-risk group due to the extended amount of time they spend outdoors and the risk for blood-borne exposure during the field dressing process (Yaeger, 1961;Barr et al, 1991;Pung et al, 1995;Bern et al, 2011;Cantey et al, 2012;Garcia et al, 2014aGarcia et al, , 2015.…”

“…As dogs share the same environment as humans, dogs can serve as sentinels for surveillance in high-risk transmission areas or as part of an investigation in determining the risk of infection in a domestic transmission cycle (Beard et al, 2003;Tenney et al, 2014). Infected dogs have been reported from all over the state with prevalence rates ranging from 2.6% to 20.3% (Beard et al, 2003;Shadomy et al, 2004;Kjos et al, 2008;McPhatter et al, 2012;Tenney et al, 2014). Sporting (hunting) dog breeds were the most commonly reported to be infected, presumably due to increased time outdoors and regular exposure to the vector (Kjos et al, 2008;Tenney et al, 2014).…”

Seroprevalencia de la infección por Trypanosoma cruzi en Canis familiaris del estado Sucre, Venezuela

“…La transmisión en los animales puede ocurrir por varias vías, incluyendo la ingestión de vectores contaminados. Este hecho se ha demostrado en estudios en los Estados Unidos, en donde la infección por T. cruzi sólo se ha reportado en perros y es rara o inexistente en los humanos (11,12).…”