Infection by Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) in a colony of Triatoma sherlocki Papa et al. 2002 (Reduviidae: Triatominae) present in a subsistence pig farm in Northeast Brazil.

Triatomines of the species Triatoma sherlocki are considered sylvatic; however, household invasion appears imminent, potentially carrying Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. The aim of this study was to report the first occurrence of a colony of T. sherlocki infected by T. cruzi in a subsistence pig farm. Triatomines collected underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for T. cruzi detection and determination of blood meal source. The 19 triatomines collected in the pig farm were of the species T. sherlocki, comprising 26.3% nymphs (5/19), 52.6% males (10/19) and 21.1% females (4/19). PCR showed that 15.8% (3/19) of triatomines were infected by T. cruzi. The only detected blood meal source in triatomines (n = 11) was the domestic mammal Sus scrofa, commonly known as domestic pig, indicating that T. sherlocki is an opportunist, feeding on available vertebrates in the environment, including domestic animals such as pigs. These results highlight the possibility of domiciliation of the species T. sherlocki and its potential role in bridging the transmission of T. cruzi between sylvatic and domestic environments.

Wild mammals involved in the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi and food sources of Triatoma sherlocki in an endemic region of northeastern Brazil.

The present study, carried out in the municipality of Gentio do Ouro, Bahia, Brazil aimed to evaluate which wild mammals may be involved in the transmission of T. cruzi and which are the blood sources for triatomines collected in the study area. PCR analysis of 31 wild mammals captured revealed T. cruzi infection in 6.4% (2/31): one specimen of the opossum Didelphis albiventris (1/3) and one of the rodent Kerodon rupestris (1/5); despite being more frequent in the area, no specimen of the rodent Thrichomys sp. (0/23) was infected. A total of 169 triatomines were captured. The conclusive detection of food sources was possible only for Triatoma sherlocki Papa et al., 2002 (n = 56), with evidence for: K. rupestris (35.7%), Gallus (17.9%), D. albiventris (14.3%), Homo sapiens (14.3%), Tropidurus hispidus (7.1%), Leopardus geoffroyi (5.3%), Conepatus semistriatus (1.8%), Thrichomys inermis (1.8%) and Rattus norvegicus (1.8%). Triatomines of the species T. sherlocki showed food eclecticism, including feeding on humans, with some of them being captured at dwellings. These facts make this triatomine a potential link for the transmission of T. cruzi between wild and anthropic environments, highlighting a latent risk of the reemergence of Chagas disease outbreaks.

Molecular detection of benzimidazole resistance levels associated with F167Y and F200Y polymorphisms in Haemonchus contortus of goats from Mozambique.

Benzimidazole (BZ) resistance of Haemonchus contortus has been associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in codons 200 (F200Y) and 167 (F167Y) and, to a lesser extent, in codon E198A, of the ß-tubulin isotype 1 gene. The present study was undertaken to survey the status of BZ resistance in naturally infected goats in smallholder farms in southern Mozambique by real-time PCR (qPCR) using TaqMan® assays. H. contortus-infective larvae (L3; n = 432) from 12 populations were individually genotyped for F200Y and F167Y SNPs to detect BZ resistance. For the F200Y SNP, the results revealed an overall mean percentages of 18.8% homozygous resistant (RR), 47.8% homozygous susceptible (SS) and 33.4% heterozygous (RS) H. contortus. For the F167Y SNP, the overall mean percentages were 1.6% RR, 94.9% SS and 3.5% RS. The percentage of resistant alleles (%R) for the F200Y and F167Y SNPs was 35.7 and 3.4%, respectively. Genotype combinations of the two mutations indicate resistant percentages ranging from 0.0 to 52.9%. From the four herds with high RR individuals, three farms dewormed the animals monthly, while the fourth farm dewormed the animals every 3 months. In farms where animals were dewormed every 6 months, low percentages of RR individuals were found, whereas no RR individuals were discovered in herds where animals were dewormed annually. These results suggest that the F200Y SNP is more significant in BZ resistance development of the surveyed population compared with the F167Y SNP.

Genotypic profile of benzimidazole resistance associated with SNP F167Y and F200Y beta-tubulin gene in Brazilian populations of Haemonchus contortus of goats.

Benzimidazoles are the most common anthelminthic used for control of gastrointestinal nematodes of goats in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Resistance to these compounds in the nematode Haemonchus contortus has been associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in codons 167 (F167Y) and 200 (F200Y) on the ß-tubulin isotype 1 gene. To determine the resistance profile to benzimidazoles of populations of H. contortus of goats of Brazilian semi-arid region, larvae of 29 populations of these nematodes were individually genotyped by real time PCR using a Taqman assay. The percentage of larvae homozygous (RR) for SNP F200Y was relatively low (18.9%), particularly when compared to SNP F167Y (32.7%), indicating that the latter has more relevance in this region. However, the associations between these two SNP demonstrate percentages of resistance ranging from 34.7% to 100% between populations, being the highest percentages for homozygous individuals resistant for the mutation 167 and susceptible to mutation 200 (RR-F167Y/F200Y-SS: 26.7%), followed by combination of heterozygous for both mutations (F167Y-SR/F200Y-SR: 22.8%). These results indicate high levels of resistance in populations of H. contortus of goats in the Brazilian semi-arid region, and thus ineffective antiparasitic control with the use of benzimidazoles in the region.