Raccoons As an Important Reservoir for Trypanosoma cruzi: A Prevalence Study from Two Metropolitan Areas in Louisiana
| Autor: | Alicia Majeau, Susanne Straif-Bourgeois, Laura Gee, Henry Pronovost, Anna Sanford, Erin Cloherty, A Nikki Anderson, Gary Balsamo, Claudia Herrera |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Chagas disease Veterinary medicine education.school_district biology Infection prevalence 030231 tropical medicine Significant difference Prevalence Parasitemia 030108 mycology & parasitology biology.organism_classification medicine.disease Microbiology Metropolitan area East Baton Rouge Parish 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Infectious Diseases Virology parasitic diseases medicine Trypanosoma cruzi education |
| Zdroj: | Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. 20:535-540 |
| ISSN: | 1557-7759 1530-3667 |
| DOI: | 10.1089/vbz.2019.2559 |
| Popis: | Raccoons are an important reservoir for Trypanosoma cruzi infection, having been reported to maintain a high and lengthy parasitemia. Although raccoon populations have historically been abundant in Louisiana, the prevalence rate of T. cruzi infection in raccoons in this state is unknown. Here, we tested raccoon tissues from two urban areas in Louisiana, namely Orleans Parish (OP) and East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP), to investigate prevalence in these areas using direct detection through polymerase chain reaction. Overall, 33.6% of raccoons tested were positive. The prevalence in OP (42.9%) was significantly higher than the prevalence in EBRP (23.2%). There was no significant difference in prevalence between sexes or based on age, but there was a significant difference in infection prevalence based on season of trapping. These results suggest the importance of raccoons as a reservoir host, maintaining T. cruzi infection and potentially posing a risk to human health. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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