Parasite community interactions: Trypanosoma cruzi and intestinal helminths infecting wild golden lion tamarins Leontopithecus rosalia and golden-headed lion tamarins L. chrysomelas (Callitrichidae, L., 1766)

Abstract

The parasite prevalence and infection intensity in primate wild populations can be affected by many variables linked to host and/or parasite ecology or either to interparasite competition/mutualism. In this study, we tested how host sex, age, and place of origin, as well parasitic concomitant infections affect the structure of golden lion and golden-headed lion tamarins parasite community, considering Trypanosoma cruzi and intestinal helminths infection in these primates. A total of 206 tamarins from two Atlantic Coastal rain forest areas in Brazil were tested during 4 years for prevalence of T. cruzi infection and helminth prevalence. Three intestinal helminth groups showed high prevalences in both tamarin species: Prosthenorchis sp., Spiruridae, and Trichostrongylidae. An association between presence of T. cruzi infection and higher intestinal helminth prevalence was found in both tamarin species. Two explanations for this association seem to be plausible: (1) lower helminth-linked mortality rates in T. cruzi-infected tamarins and (2) lower elimination rates of helminths in such tamarins. A higher frequency of T. cruzi-positive blood cultures was significantly correlated to female tamarins and to the presence of Trichostrongylidae infection. The possibility of an increase in the transmissibility of T. cruzi and the three analyzed helminths in lion tamarins with concomitant infections is discussed.

Ecological scenario and Trypanosoma cruzi DTU characterization of a fatal acute Chagas disease case transmitted orally (Espírito Santo state, Brazil)

“…Numerous models and experimental studies have been carried out and in general, they have concluded that mixed infections can affect the host immune response and result in increases in virulence [110, 111]. Female tamarins infected with T. cruzi and Acanthocephala (intestinal helminths) may experience increases in the rates of T. cruzi infection [112, 113]. Araujo et al [114] observed that isolated TcI grew faster under culture conditions than Tcl in mixed infections with TcII.…”

Temporal and demographic blood parasite dynamics in two free-ranging neotropical primates

“…Controlled experimental studies on co-infection dynamics (Cox, 2001, Knowles, 2011) and studies from wild populations (Pedersen and Fenton, 2007, Monteiro et al., 2007b, Telfer et al., 2008) consistently show that relationships between parasites should not be ignored when evaluating parasite distributions in a single host (Christensen et al., 1987). This study provides additional evidence for that conclusion; specifically, the nested modeling approach uncovered two instances in which the addition of co-infection variables improved model fit.…”

“…Since parasites can bring about distinct changes to host hematology, body condition and immune investment (Budischak et al., 2012, van Wyk et al., 2014), it follows that even disparate parasites can boost (Monteiro et al., 2007b, Knowles, 2011, Thumbi et al., 2014) or suppress one another (Moreno et al., 2013) via their influences on host immune function (Cox, 2001, Ulrich and Schmid-Hempel, 2012). Although the logistics and economics of collecting long-term, individual-based infection data are challenging, these data are critical to study the effects of age, social structure, life history, time, seasonal variation, and co-infection on disease dynamics (Clutton-Brock and Sheldon, 2010).…”

“…This study explores the potential influences of intrinsic host factors, co-infection, and temporal variation on parasite prevalence via a mark-recapture program that allowed us to track the parasite infection status of individual animals across multiple years. This enabled us to control for biases due to temporal, environmental and protocol-related changes, which have been rarely addressed in studies of these species to date (Lisboa et al., 2000, Phillips et al., 2004, Wenz et al., 2009, West et al., 2013), but see (Monteiro et al., 2007a, Monteiro et al., 2007b). …”

Trypanosoma cruzi: adaptation to its vectors and its hosts

“…However, infectivity, demonstrated by high parasitemia levels (positive hemocultures), varied between colonies. The subsequent observation of a positive association between the frequency of tamarins with T. cruzi -positive blood cultures and the presence of Trichostrongylidae showed that concomitant parasitic infections may increase the transmissibility of T. cruzi and, consequently, the competence of this host species as a reservoir [81]. Infection by genotype TCI was detected only in a small number of the tamarin specimens.…”