Infection survey of Leishmaniasis, American Trypanosomiasis and Brazilian Spotted Fever agents in free-ranging wild mammals from the environmentally protected area of the municipality of Campinas, São Paulo

• Grant number: 16/02572-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal researcher: Maria Rita Donalisio Cordeiro
• Grantee: Lais Moraes Paiz
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Natural or anthropogenic environmental changes facilitate the contact between domestic animals and humans with animals of wildlife and arouse interest in the participation of these animals in the transmission of diseases. The Environmentally Protected Area (EPA) in the municipality of Campinas, São Paulo, has differentiated environmental characteristics, with abundant organic matter, water resources and wildlife. Nevertheless, the EPA fits into the context of environmental changes arising, among other factors, of intense and recent colonization. In the region were recorded cutaneous leishmaniasis outbreaks in the 1990s and since 2009 the area remains the only focus of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) transmission of the municipality. Based on this, the EPA was chosen as study area, where 82 free ranging wild mammals were captured and sampled at 18 different points between April 2014 and March 2015. Samples of serum, blood and skin were collected, the first two were primarily intended for the detection of infections by Leishmania spp., in order to investigate a possible sylvatic cycle in canine VL focus of the municipality. Molecular analysis of blood samples allowed the detection of Leishmania subgenre Viannia in the blood of one Didelphis albiventris, of subgenus Leishmania in another and Trypanosoma rangeli in a third opossum. This latter finding may indicate the presence of T. cruzi, American Trypanosomiasis agent (AT), when you consider that both parasites overlap in their distribution and compete for hosts and vectors of Rhodnius gender. The EPA also has various areas marked with signs that indicate risk of Brazilian Spotted Fever transmission (BSF), an important disease mainly caused by Rickettsia rickettsii and transmitted by ticks. Campinas is the municipality of São Paulo State with the largest number of case reports of BSF from 2007 to September 2015. Based on the above scenario, it is proposed in this project carry out the investigation of captured wild mammals not only for leishmaniasis, but also for BSF and AT, both relevant for public health and the study area. Furthermore, it is proposed that additional molecular investigation of Leishmania spp. in skin samples and the exact species of Leishmania involved in parasitemia of two D. albiventris. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PAIZ, LAIS MORAES; MOTOIE, GABRIELA; RICHINI-PEREIRA, VIRGINIA BODELAO; LANGONI, HELIO; MENOZZI, BENEDITO DONIZETE; TOLEZANO, JOSE EDUARDO; DONALISIO, MARIA RITA. Antibodies and Molecular Detection of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in Samples of Free-Ranging Marmosets (Primates: Callitrichidae: Callithrix spp.) in an Area of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in Southeastern Brazil. VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES, v. 19, n. 4 OCT 2018. Web of Science Citations: 3.

DONALISIO, MARIA RITA; PAIZ, LAIS MORAES; DA SILVA, VANESSA GUSMON; RICHINI-PEREIRA, VIRGINIA BODELAO; BRUNO VON ZUBEN, ANDREA PAULA; CASTAGNA, CLAUDIO LUIZ; MOTOIE, GABRIELA; HIRAMOTO, ROBERTO MITSUYOSHI; TOLEZANO, JOSE EDUARDO. Visceral leishmaniasis in an environmentally protected area in southeastern Brazil: Epidemiological and laboratory cross-sectional investigation of phlebotomine fauna, wild hosts and canine cases. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 11, n. 7 JUL 2017. Web of Science Citations: 4.

PAIZ, LAIS MORAES; DONALISIO, MARIA RITA; RICHINI-PEREIRA, VIRGINIA BODELAO; MOTOIE, GABRIELA; CASTAGNA, CLAUDIO LUIZ; TOLEZANO, JOSE EDUARDO. Infection by Leishmania spp. in Free-Ranging Opossums (Didelphis albiventris) in an Environmentally Protected Area Inhabited by Humans in Southeastern Brazil. VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES, v. 16, n. 11, p. 728-730, NOV 2016. Web of Science Citations: 2.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

PAIZ, Lais Moraes. Infection by agents of leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and Brazilian spotted fever in free-ranging wild mammals from an environmentally protected area of the municipality of Campinas, São Paulo. 2018. 159 f. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Ciências Médicas.