Trypanosoma cruzi load in synanthropic rodents from rural areas in Chile

Abstract

BackgroundTrypanosoma cruzi is the agent of Chagas disease, a major public health problem in Latin America. Many wild and domestic animals are naturally infected with T. cruzi; rodents are one of the groups which have been consistently detected infected in different countries. The aim of this work was to characterize blood T. cruzi load in naturally infected rodents from a Chagas disease endemic region in Chile.MethodsBaited traps were set in domestic and peridomestic areas of rural dwellings. The rodents were anesthetized and blood sampled; DNA was extracted and the parasite load was quantified by T. cruzi satellite DNA real-time PCR assays.ResultsSeventy-one rodents of four species, Rattus rattus, Mus musculus, Phyllotis darwini and Octodon degus, were captured; R. rattus was the most abundant species. Fifty-nine samples (83.1%) were T. cruzi-positive and the median value of the parasite load was 2.99 parasite equivalents (par-eq)/ml. The comparison of frequency of infection or parasite load by species showed no differences. However, one R. rattus presented very elevated parasitemia (1644 par-eq/ml).ConclusionsThe overall levels of parasitemia were similar to those found in humans in Chile. The high infection levels in exotic and endemic rodents very near to rural settlements increases their relevance as T. cruzi hosts.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2771-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Spatio-temporal characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi infection and discrete typing units infecting hosts and vectors from non-domestic foci of Chile

“…Since the home range of triatomines is also small [22], these mammals can act as important T . cruzi hosts, acquiring and maintaining the infection [23, 24]. Infected species in Chile are the rodents Octodon degus , Phyllotis darwini , Abrothrix olivaceus , Rattus rattus , the lagomorph Oryctolagus cuniculus , and the marsupial Thylamys elegans , ranging from 32% to 83.6% [18, 23, 25–27].…”

Trypanosomatid Infections among Vertebrates of Chile: A Systematic Review

“…Among them, 13 species have been tested for T. cruzi infection, including three Abrothrix species, two Octodon species, Abrocoma bennetti , Chinchilla lanigera , Lagidium viscacia , O. longicaudatus , Phyllotis darwini , and Spalacopus cyanus , among others. From these, seven species have been reported as being infected by T. cruzi , with a high variation in the frequency of infection, mainly depending on the detection technique: A. bennetti (0–42.9%), Abrothrix longipilis (0–9.5%), Abrothrix olivaceus (0–71.0%), C. lanigera (20.0–40.0%), Octodon degus (8.3–70.4%), O. longicaudatus (0–50.0%), and P. darwini (0–100%) [ 14 , 15 , 17 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. See the detailed information in Table 2 and Table S1 in Supplementary Materials .…”

“…In the 1940s, the prevalence of T. cruzi infection in R. rattus , R. norvegicus and M. musculus was tested by optical microscopy and/or XD but no infection was detected [ 29 ]. Recent studies, using molecular detection (cPCR, hemi-nested PCR, and/or qPCR), have reported a high infection prevalence: R. rattus (27.7%, 83.6%), R. norvegicus (71.4%), and M. musculus (83.3%) [ 14 , 34 , 48 , 56 ]. See the detailed information in Table 3 and Table S2 in Supplementary Materials .…”

“…In Chile, the domestic transmission cycle by the vector T. infestans was interrupted in 1999, which means that there are no colonies established inside houses, but the intrusion of sylvatic triatomines—of the genus Mepraia and T. infestans —is still a nuisance for people living in endemic areas [ 10 , 112 , 113 ]. Sylvatic transmission to native and alien vertebrates occurs in wild habitats; transhumant livestock can transport the infection to peridomestic areas [ 72 ], and synanthropic species can also move between these environments [ 48 , 56 ]. Sylvatic triatomines invade dwellings, carrying T. cruzi that can be transmitted to vertebrates, and accidentally to humans.…”

Canine vector-borne pathogens in rural dogs in Chile: molecular survey and co-infection patterns

“…Samples scored positive for Mycoplasma were examined with speci c primers for M. haemocanis (Mhc) and for Candidatus M. haematoparvum (CMhp) to detect coinfections [47,48]. Trypanosoma cruzi was detected and quanti ed by real-time PCR following the protocols described by Ye -Quintero et al [49]. Leishmania spp.…”