Infections and Coinfections by Trypanosomatid Parasites in a Rural Community of Venezuela

• Published in: Acta parasitologica Vol. 67; no. 2; pp. 1015 - 1023
• Main Authors: Herrera, Leidi, Morocoima, Antonio, Lozano-Arias, Daisy, García-Alzate, Roberto, Viettri, Mercedes, Lares, María, Ferrer, Elizabeth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-06-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amplification; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Blood; Control programs; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Ecology; Hemolymph; Infections; Leishmania; Mammals; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Parasites; Parasitology; Polymerase chain reaction; Protozoa; Rural areas; Rural communities; Serology; Short Communication; Trypanosoma; Trypanosoma cruzi; Trypanosoma rangeli; Venezuela; Hosts; Venezuela; Coinfections; Diagnosis; Trypanosoma; Leishmania
• ISSN: 1230-2821; 1896-1851
• DOI: 10.1007/s11686-021-00505-1

Introduction
Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma rangeli and Leishmania
spp. are parasites that coexist in several endemic areas. The identification of these parasites in hosts is important for the control programs.
Methods
216 samples from human blood (101), blood of other mammals (45) and triatomine intestinal content and hemolymph (70), from an endemic area of Venezuela, were analysed. The samples were evaluated by; serology (only humans) and PCR for
T. cruzi
in human, other mammals and triatomines, PCR for
T. rangeli
in mammals-including human and triatomines and PCR for
Leishmania
in mammals-including human.
Results
The 9.9% of the human samples were positive for
T. cruzi
by serology, 11.9% by PCR, 4% for
T. rangeli
PCR and none for
Leishmania
spp. PCR. 60% of the samples of other mammals showed DNA amplification for
T. cruzi
, 42.2% for
T. rangeli
and 4.4% for
Leishmania
spp. 61.4% of the triatomine samples showed DNA amplification for
T. cruzi
and 10% for
T. rangeli
.
Conclusions
High
T. cruzi
infection was detected in mammals and triatomines compared with
T. rangeli
. Low leishmanial infection was detected in other mammals. It is the first time that
T. cruzi
/
T. rangeli
coinfection, in humans,
Canis familiaris
(dog), and
Bos Taurus
(cow), were reported world-wide, and that this coinfection was described in
Tamandua tetradactyla
(anteater) from Venezuela. The coinfection
T. cruzi
/
T. rangeli
in mammals-including humans and triatomines, and coinfection
T. cruzi
/
Leishmania
spp. in non-human mammals, show the risk for trypanosomic zoonoses in this endemic area.