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Rocha, F.L.; Rodrigues Roque, A.L.; de Lima, J.S.; Cheida, C.C.; Lemos, F.G.; de Azevedo, F.C.; Arrais, R.C.; Bilac, D.; Herrera, H.M.; Mourao, G.; Jansen, A.M.
_Trypanosoma cruzi_ infection in neotropical wild carnivores: at the top of the _T. cruzi_ transmission chain
2013  PLoS ONE (8): 1-12

Little is known on the role played by Neotropical wild carnivores in the _Trypanosoma cruzi_ transmission cycles. We investigated _T. cruzi_ infection in wild carnivores from three sites in Brazil through parasitological and serological tests. The seven carnivore species examined were infected by _T. cruzi_, but high parasitemias detectable by hemoculture were found only in two Procyonidae species. Genotyping by Mini-exon gene, PCR-RFLP (1f8/Akw21I) and kDNA genomic targets revealed that the raccoon (_Procyon cancrivorus_) harbored TcI and the coatis (_Nasua nasua_) harbored TcI, TcII, TcIII-IV and _Trypanosoma rangeli_, in single and mixed infections, besides four _T. cruzi_ isolates that displayed odd band patterns in the Mini-exon assay. These findings corroborate the coati can be a bioaccumulator of _T. cruzi_ Discrete Typing Units (DTU) and may act as a transmission hub, a connection point joining sylvatic transmission cycles within terrestrial and arboreal mammals and vectors. Also, the odd band patterns observed in coatis' isolates reinforce that _T. cruzi_ diversity might be much higher than currently acknowledged. Additionally, we assembled our data with _T. cruzi_ infection on Neotropical carnivores' literature records to provide a comprehensive analysis of the infection patterns among distinct carnivore species, especially considering their ecological traits and phylogeny. Altogether, fifteen Neotropical carnivore species were found naturally infected by _T. cruzi_. Species diet was associated with _T. cruzi_ infection rates, supporting the hypothesis that predator-prey links are important mechanisms for _T. cruzi_ maintenance and dispersion in the wild. Distinct _T. cruzi_ infection patterns across carnivore species and study sites were notable. Musteloidea species consistently exhibit high parasitemias in different studies which indicate their high infectivity potential. Mesocarnivores that feed on both invertebrates and mammals, including the coati, a host that can be bioaccumulator of _T. cruzi_ DTU's, seem to take place at the top of the _T. cruzi_ transmission chain.

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