Zoonotic Trypanosomes in Rats and Fleas of Venezuelan Slums.
Ecohealth
; 16(3): 523-533, 2019 09.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31583491
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.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Enfermedades de los Roedores
/
Tripanosomiasis
/
Siphonaptera
/
Insectos Vectores
Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
País/Región como asunto:
America do sul
/
Venezuela
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Ecohealth
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article