Molecular diagnosis of trypanosomatids in Didelphis marsupialis from Los Montes de Mar ía: a first report of Trypanosoma rangeli from Colombian Caribbean region

AbstractDidelphis marsupialis is a primary reservoir ofTrypanosoma cruzi, etiologic agent of American Trypanosomiasis-AT or Chagas Disease-CD, in America. Some findings ofTrypanosoma rangeli have been recorded in this mammal, in sympatry withT. cruzi. In Los Montes de Mar ía, Bolívar, Colombian Caribbean, triatomine insects and potential parasite host has been registered, but little is known about the relationship between these parasites andD. marsupialis. We investigated the natural trypanosomatids infection rate inD. marsupialis, applying a parasitological and molecular diagnosis. TwentyD. marsupialis was investigated between 2018 and 2019 using 21 Tomahawk ® traps placed on the sylvatic/domestic corridors. Blood was drawn by cardiopuncture after sedation. An aliquot of blood samples was cultured in Novy, Nicolle, McNeal/Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium at 24 °C/60 days for the detection of motile trypomastigotes. Parasite DNA was obtained by salting out methods from positive blood cultures. Trypanosomatids diagnosis was done by Polymerase Chain Reaction-sequencing of V7V8 region of 18S ribosomal RNA (18S-rRNA) gene. Amplicons were sequenced, and consensus sequences were aligned with reference sequences from GenBank. Four isolates corre sponded toT. rangeli (20%) and one toT. cruzi (5%). The natural infection ofD. marsupialis byT. rangeli andT. cruzi constitutes the first record of these parasites in didelphids in Los Montes de Mar ía and the first record ofT. ...
Source: Journal of Parasitic Diseases - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research