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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Zoonotic Trypanosomes in Rats and Fleas of Venezuelan Slums

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Author(s):
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Garcia, Herakles A. [1, 2] ; Rangel, Carlos J. [3] ; Ortiz, Paola A. [2] ; Calzadilla, Carlos O. [1] ; Coronado, Raul A. [1] ; Silva, Arturo J. [1] ; Perez, Arlett M. [1] ; Lecuna, Jesmil C. [1] ; Garcia, Maria E. [1] ; Aguirre, Aixa M. [1] ; Teixeira, Marta M. G. [2]
Total Authors: 11
Affiliation:
[1] Cent Univ Venezuela, Fac Vet Sci, Dept Vet Pathol, Maracay - Venezuela
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed 2, Dept Parasitol, Av Prof Lineu Prestes 1374, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil
[3] Cent Univ Venezuela, Fac Vet Sci, Dept Publ Hlth, Maracay - Venezuela
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: ECOHEALTH; v. 16, n. 3 OCT 2019.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Rattus spp. are reservoirs of many human zoonoses, but their role in domestic transmission cycles of human trypanosomiasis is underestimated. In this study, we report trypanosome-infected Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus in human dwellings in slums neighboring Maracay, a large city near Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Blood samples of R. norvegicus and R. rattus examined by PCR and FFLB (fluorescent fragment length barcoding) revealed a prevalence of 6.3% / 31.1% for Trypanosoma lewisi (agent of rat- and flea-borne human emergent zoonosis), and 10.5% / 24.6% for Trypanosoma cruzi (agent of Chagas disease). Detection in flea guts of T. lewisi (76%) and, unexpectedly, T. cruzi (21.3%) highlighted the role of fleas as carriers and vectors of these trypanosomes. A high prevalence of rats infected with T. lewisi and T. cruzi and respective flea and triatomine vectors poses a serious risk of human trypanosomiasis in Venezuelan slums. Anthropogenic activities responsible for growing rat and triatomine populations within human dwellings drastically increased human exposure to trypanosomes. This scenario has allowed for the reemergence of Chagas disease as an urban zoonosis in Venezuela and can propitiate the emergence of atypical T. lewisi infection in humans. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 16/03028-1 - Comparative study of African and South American trypanosomes of ungulates: molecular diversity, diagnosis, phylogeny and epidemiology
Grantee:Herakles Antonio Garcia Perez
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral