Microcavia australis (Caviidae, Rodentia), a new highly competent host of Trypanosoma cruzi I in rural communities of northwestern Argentina

Cecere, María C.; Cardinal, Marta Victoria; Arrabal, Juan Pablo; Moreno, Claudio; Gürtler, Ricardo E.

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2014.10.019

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…Our results confirm that O. degus is a competent reservoir [ 43 ]. This rodent presents a high prevalence of infection with T. cruzi , lives in colonies located close to the vector M. spinolai [ 20 , 22 ] and has high infectiousness to triatomines [ 44 ]. In this study, we support the idea that the two analyzed vector species are equally competent to maintain T. cruzi .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Within-host temporal fluctuations of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units: the case of the wild reservoir rodent Octodon degus

et al. 2017

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BackgroundChagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is considered a major public health problem in America. After an acute phase the disease changes to a chronic phase with very low parasitemia. The parasite presents high genetic variability with seven discrete typing units (DTUs): TcI-TcVI and Tc bat. The aim of this work is to evaluate fluctuation of parasitemia and T. cruzi DTUs in naturally infected Octodon degus. MethodsAfter animal capture parasitemia was obtained by qPCR and later the animals were evaluated by three serial xenodiagnoses using two insect vector species, Mepraia spinolai and Triatoma infestans. The parasites amplified over time by insect xenodiagnosis were analyzed by conventional PCR and after that the infective T. cruzi were characterized by means of hybridization tests.ResultsThe determination of O. degus parasitemia before serial xenodiagnosis by qPCR reveals a great heterogeneity from 1 to 812 parasite equivalents/ml in the blood stream. The T. cruzi DTU composition in 23 analyzed animals by xenodiagnosis oscillated from mixed infections with different DTUs to infections without DTU identification or vice versa, this is equivalent to 50% of the studied animals. Detection of triatomine infection and composition of T. cruzi DTUs was achieved more efficiently 40 days post-infection rather than after 80 or 120 days.Conclusion Trypanosoma cruzi DTUs composition fluctuates over time in naturally infected O. degus. Three replicates of serial xenodiagnosis confirmed that living parasites have been studied. Our results allow us to confirm that M. spinolai and T. infestans are equally competent to maintain T. cruzi DTUs since similar results of infection were obtained after xenodiagnosis procedure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Within-host temporal fluctuations of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units: the case of the wild reservoir rodent Octodon degus

et al. 2017

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“…In control treatment of an individual with ChD (pre and post-therapy), it is essential to determine the parasitological condition [ 38 ]. The classical xenodiagnosis (XD) [ 8 , 32 ] has been used as a tool of selection for specific treatment and its posterior evaluation [ 2 , 7 , 16 ], searching for the most effective triatomine species [ 9 ], isolation and characterization of T. cruzi DTUs [ 13 , 26 , 33 , 34 , 47 ], comparison of its sensitivity with other procedures for the detection of T. cruzi in bloodstream [ 6 , 51 ] and relation parasite cycle-vector [ 18 , 41 ]. In most of these studies, the result of XD has been expressed in qualitative terms, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification by real-time PCR of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in samples of Triatoma infestans used in xenodiagnosis of chronic Chagas disease patients

et al. 2016

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BackgroundTrypanosoma cruzi multiplies and differentiates in the digestive tract of triatomine insects. Xenodiagnosis (XD) is a parasitological tool in which the insect vectors acts as a biological culture medium to amplify and detect T. cruzi infection in mammals. The sensitivity of XD has been overcome by the application of PCR in fecal samples (FS) of XD (PCR-XD). In this study, T. cruzi amplified in Triatoma infestans fed by XD on individuals with chronic Chagas disease (CChD) is quantified by real-time PCR (qPCR-XD).FindingsUnder informed consent, 100 individuals were evaluated. In 21 of them XD, PCR-XD and qPCR-XD were positive. For the contrary, 79 were negative XD. In 58 (73.4 %) and 66 cases (83.5 %) of them, PCR-XD (Fisher’s exact test P = 0.005) and qPCR-XD (Fisher’s exact test: P = 0.037) respectively, were positive. In cases with positive XD, qPCR-XD allowed to establish that in 9/21 cases (42.9 %) the parasite burden fluctuated between 100 and 1,000 par. eq./ml. Otherwise, in 32/79 (40.5 %) cases with negative XD, a parasite burden between 1 and 10 par. eq./ml was determined. All samples showed amplification of exogenous internal control (X12, Ct average: 31.8), so problems in the DNA extraction (excess or loss of genetic material), unspecific amplification and/or inhibition in qPCR-XD reactions were ruled out. Additionally, in all the patients qPCR in blood (qPCR-B) was performed. In the cases with positive XD, the concordance between the positivity of qPCR-XD and qPCR-B was 100 %, nevertheless, the parasite burden in blood was lower and different than XD (Chi-square test: χ2 = 91.82, df = 5, P = 0.0001). In the cases with negative XD the ranges of qPCR-XD and qPCR-B were similar (Chi-square test: χ2 = 6.71, df = 5, P = 0.1520).ConclusionsThis study allowed the detection and quantification of T. cruzi by qPCR-XD in FS of Tr. infestans fed on patients with CChD. The highest parasite burden was observed in positive XD cases. qPCR-XD could be used in different studies related with the complex T. cruzi-vector-host interactions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1664-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…[29,30,31,32,33]. It is also well known that cavimorphs maintain high T. cruzi parasitemia [31,33,34,35]. In Caicó-RN, Brazil, it had already been highlighted the potential importance of rocky cavies (K. rupestris) in the T. cruzi cycle in the sylvatic environment [5], but we here found blood meals in rocky cavies in peridomestic T. brasiliensis populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 42%

“…dimidiata in the Andean valleys/Yucatan-Mexico by the domestication of guinea pigs (Cavia spp.) [29,30,31,32,33]. It is also well known that cavimorphs maintain high T. cruzi parasitemia [31,33,34,35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In rural PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES communities in Tafı´del Valle-Tucuman Province, Argentina-peridomestic populations of T. eratyrusiformis were found infected by T. cruzi in dry-shrub fences associated with colonies of Microcavia australis (Rodentia:Caviidae) [32]. Some authors [33] suggest that this last cavy species is a highly competent host of T. cruzi I.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dynamics of food sources, ecotypic distribution and Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Triatoma brasiliensis from the northeast of Brazil

et al. 2020

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Innovative approaches used to combat Chagas disease transmission tend to combine a set of comprehensive efforts to understand the ecology of local vectors. In this work we identified molecularly the blood meal of 181 Triatoma brasiliensis, distributed in 18 populations (8 sylvatic and 10 peridomestic), which were collected across a range of 240 km (East-West) and 95 km (North-South) in the semi-arid region of northeastern, Brazil. We used the vertebrate mitochondrial gene (cytochrome B) sequencing applied to DNA isolated from bug midgut to identify the insect blood meal sources via the BLAST procedure. The peridomestic populations were classified according to two main hypotheses of site-occupancy for T. brasiliensis: the first says that the infestation is mainly driven by structures that resemble its natural habitat (stony-like ecotopes) and the second assumes that it is associated with key-hosts (rodents and goats). Rodents of the Caviidae family (Galea spixii and Kerodon rupestris) were identified as the key-host of T. brasiliensis, but also the potential Trypanosoma cruzi reservoir-able to connect the sylvatic and domestic T. cruzi cycle. Cats also deserve to be studied better, as potential T. cruzi reservoirs. By modeling the food sources + site-occupancy + T. cruzi natural infection, we identified man-made ecotopes suitable for forming dense triatomine infestations with high rates of T. cruzi natural infection, which may be taken into account for vector control measures.

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Microcavia australis (Caviidae, Rodentia), a new highly competent host of Trypanosoma cruzi I in rural communities of northwestern Argentina

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

Within-host temporal fluctuations of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units: the case of the wild reservoir rodent Octodon degus

Within-host temporal fluctuations of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units: the case of the wild reservoir rodent Octodon degus

Quantification by real-time PCR of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in samples of Triatoma infestans used in xenodiagnosis of chronic Chagas disease patients

Dynamics of food sources, ecotypic distribution and Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Triatoma brasiliensis from the northeast of Brazil

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