Molecular epidemiology of domestic and sylvatic Trypanosoma cruzi infection in rural northwestern Argentina

• Autores: Cardinal, Marta Victoria; Lauricella, Marta A.; Ceballos, L. A.; Lanati, Leonardo; Marcet, Paula L.; Levin, Mariano J.; Kitron, Uriel; Guertler, Ricardo E.; Schijman, Alejandro G.
• Año de publicación: 2008
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: International Journal for Parasitology 2008;38(13):1533-1543
• Materia: Enfermedad de Chagas; Linaje de la Célula; Trypanosoma cruzi; Perros; Gatos; Vigilancia; Control de Vectores
• Institución: Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán"

Fil: Cardinal, Marta Victoria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología; Argentina.
Fil: Lauricella, Marta A. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.
Fil: Ceballos, L. A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología; Argentina.
Fil: Lanati, Leonardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología; Argentina.
Fil: Marcet, Paula L. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología; Argentina.
Fil: Levin, Mariano J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de la Enfermedad de Chagas, Buenos Aires; Argentina.
Fil: Kitron, Uriel. Emory University. Department of Environmental Studies, Atlanta; Estados Unidos.
Fil: Guertler, Ricardo E. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología; Argentina.
Fil: Schijman, Alejandro G. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular. Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de la Enfermedad de Chagas, Buenos Aires; Argentina.
Genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi populations and parasite transmission dynamics have been well documented throughout the Americas, but few studies have been conducted in the Gran Chaco ecoregion, one of the most highly endemic areas for Chagas disease, caused by T cruzi. In this study, we assessed the distribution of T cruzi lineages (identified by PCR strategies) in Triatoma infestans, domestic dogs, cats. humans and sylvatic mammals from two neighbouring rural areas with different histories of transmission and vector control in northern Argentina. Lineage II predominated amongst the 99 isolates characterised and lineage I amongst the six isolates obtained from sylvatic mammals. T cruzi lineage lie predominated in domestic habitats; it was found in 87%, of 54 isolates from Tr. infestans. in 82% of 33 isolates from dogs, and in the four cats found infected. Domestic and sylvatic cycles overlapped in the study area in the late 1980s, when intense domestic transmission occurred, and still overlap marginally. The introduction of T. cruzi from sylvatic into domestic habitats is likely to occur very rarely in the current epidemiological context. The household distribution of T cruzi lineages showed that Tr infestans, dogs and cats from a given house compound shared the same parasite lineage in most cases. Based on molecular evidence, this result lends further Support to the importance of dogs and cats as domestic reservoir hosts of T cruzi. We believe that in Argentina, this is the first time that lineage IIe has been isolated from naturally infected domestic dogs and Tr. infestans.