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Zoonotic Cycle of American Trypanosomiasis in an Endemic Region of the Argentine Chaco, Factors That Influenced a Paradigm Shift
by
, , , ,
Andrea Gómez-Bravo
1,
Sebastián Cirignoli
2,3
,
Diana Wehrendt
4,
Alejandro Schijman
4,
Cielo M. León
5,
María Flores-Chaves
1,6,
Javier Nieto
6,
Troy J. Kieran
7,†,
Marcelo Abril
1 and
Felipe Guhl
5,* 1
Fundación Mundo Sano, Buenos Aires C1061ABC, Argentina
2
Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Puerto Iguazú N3370AIA, Argentina
3
Administración de Parques Nacionales, Parque Nacional Iberá, Mercedes W3470, Argentina
4
Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular “Dr. Héctor N. Torres”, Buenos Aires C1428ADN, Argentina
5
Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia
6
Unidad de Leishmaniasis y Enfermedad de Chagas, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28222 Majadahonda, Spain
7
Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Present Address: Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Insects 2024, 15(7), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15070471
Submission received: 9 May 2024
/
Revised: 16 June 2024
/
Accepted: 18 June 2024
/
Published: 25 June 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Vectors of Human and Zoonotic Diseases)
Simple Summary
Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) poses a serious health problem in the American region, with approximately one-quarter of the Latin American population at risk of infection due to the geographical distribution of the insect vectors (Triatominae spp.). The transmission scenarios for this disease involve multiple interdependent factors. The parasite has developed, over evolutionary time, multiple strategies that have enabled its successful survival. The variables governing the transmission cycle are diverse and unique to each ecological scenario. Human intervention, such as deforestation, large-scale changes in land use, and loss of biodiversity, in the Chaco region over many years, along with sustained control interventions, may have significantly impacted the structure of wild transmission cycles and their relationships with the environment. This could potentially reduce the prevalence of the parasite in the domestic cycle. This study aims to describe the transmission dynamics of the sylvatic cycle of T. cruzi, identify factors determining potential zoonotic spillover, and explore how they could contribute to the elimination of Chagas disease as a public health problem in this area of Argentina.
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis), is a highly complex zoonosis that is present throughout South America, Central America, and Mexico. The transmission of this disease is influenced by various factors, including human activities like deforestation and land use changes, which may have altered the natural transmission cycles and their connection to the environment. In this study conducted in the Argentine Chaco region, we examined the transmission dynamics of T. cruzi by collecting blood samples from wild and domestic animals, as well as triatomine bugs from human dwellings, across five sites of varying anthropic intervention. Samples were analyzed for T. cruzi infection via qPCR, and we additionally examined triatomines for bloodmeal analysis via NGS amplicon sequencing. Our analysis revealed a 15.3% infection rate among 20 wild species (n = 123) and no T. cruzi presence in 9 species of domestic animals (n = 1359) or collected triatomines via qPCR. Additionally, we found chicken (34.28%), human (21.59%), and goat (19.36%) as the predominant bloodmeal sources across all sites. These findings suggest that anthropic intervention and other variables analyzed may have directly impacted the spillover dynamics of T. cruzi’s sylvatic cycle and potentially reduced its prevalence in human habitats.
