Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes.
Background Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasitic protozoan, is endemic to the Americas and the causative agent of Chagas disease in humans. In South America, opossums facilitate transmission via infected anal gland secretions in addition to transmission via triatomine vectors. In North America, the Virgini...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:cba1494005e34988a605276b861a4535 2023-05-15T15:18:27+02:00 Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. Carson W Torhorst Zoe S White Chanakya R Bhosale Norman L Beatty Samantha M Wisely 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 https://doaj.org/article/cba1494005e34988a605276b861a4535 EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 https://doaj.org/article/cba1494005e34988a605276b861a4535 PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 16, Iss 12, p e0010974 (2022) Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 2023-02-12T01:27:53Z Background Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasitic protozoan, is endemic to the Americas and the causative agent of Chagas disease in humans. In South America, opossums facilitate transmission via infected anal gland secretions in addition to transmission via triatomine vectors. In North America, the Virginia opossum is a reservoir host for the parasite with transmission routes that are not clearly defined. The unique biology of this marsupial provides the opportunity to investigate vertical transmission in this wildlife species in situ. Our objectives were to investigate alternative routes of transmission that may facilitate spillover into other species and to determine if vertical transmission was evident. Methodology/principal findings Virginia opossums were sampled at 10 trapping locations over a 10-month period in a 5-county region of north central Florida. Peripheral blood, fecal swabs, and anal gland secretions were collected from each adult individual, and peripheral blood was collected from joey opossums. Total DNA was extracted from each collected sample type, and T. cruzi infected individuals and the infecting Discrete Typing Unit (DTU) were identified using real time PCR methods. Adult Virginia opossums (n = 112) were infected with T. cruzi (51.8%, 95% CI [42.6-60.8%]) throughout the sampled period and at each location. T. cruzi DNA was found in each of the three biological sample types. Vertical transmission of T. cruzi was inferred in one litter of mother-dependent (n = 20, 5.0%, 95% CI [0.9-23.6%]) joey opossums where 2 joeys from this same litter were rtPCR positive for T. cruzi. Conclusions/significance We inferred vertical transmission from mother to neonate which may serve to amplify the prevalence of T. cruzi in adult Virginia opossums. T. cruzi DNA was detected in the anal gland secretions of Virginia opossums. Infected anal gland secretions suggest a possible environmental route of transmission for T. cruzi via the deposition of contaminated feces and spraint at wildlife latrines. Only DTU1 was ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 16 12 e0010974 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
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English |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Carson W Torhorst Zoe S White Chanakya R Bhosale Norman L Beatty Samantha M Wisely Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. |
topic_facet |
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
Background Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasitic protozoan, is endemic to the Americas and the causative agent of Chagas disease in humans. In South America, opossums facilitate transmission via infected anal gland secretions in addition to transmission via triatomine vectors. In North America, the Virginia opossum is a reservoir host for the parasite with transmission routes that are not clearly defined. The unique biology of this marsupial provides the opportunity to investigate vertical transmission in this wildlife species in situ. Our objectives were to investigate alternative routes of transmission that may facilitate spillover into other species and to determine if vertical transmission was evident. Methodology/principal findings Virginia opossums were sampled at 10 trapping locations over a 10-month period in a 5-county region of north central Florida. Peripheral blood, fecal swabs, and anal gland secretions were collected from each adult individual, and peripheral blood was collected from joey opossums. Total DNA was extracted from each collected sample type, and T. cruzi infected individuals and the infecting Discrete Typing Unit (DTU) were identified using real time PCR methods. Adult Virginia opossums (n = 112) were infected with T. cruzi (51.8%, 95% CI [42.6-60.8%]) throughout the sampled period and at each location. T. cruzi DNA was found in each of the three biological sample types. Vertical transmission of T. cruzi was inferred in one litter of mother-dependent (n = 20, 5.0%, 95% CI [0.9-23.6%]) joey opossums where 2 joeys from this same litter were rtPCR positive for T. cruzi. Conclusions/significance We inferred vertical transmission from mother to neonate which may serve to amplify the prevalence of T. cruzi in adult Virginia opossums. T. cruzi DNA was detected in the anal gland secretions of Virginia opossums. Infected anal gland secretions suggest a possible environmental route of transmission for T. cruzi via the deposition of contaminated feces and spraint at wildlife latrines. Only DTU1 was ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Carson W Torhorst Zoe S White Chanakya R Bhosale Norman L Beatty Samantha M Wisely |
author_facet |
Carson W Torhorst Zoe S White Chanakya R Bhosale Norman L Beatty Samantha M Wisely |
author_sort |
Carson W Torhorst |
title |
Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. |
title_short |
Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. |
title_full |
Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. |
title_fullStr |
Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. |
title_sort |
identification of the parasite, trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the virginia opossum (didelphis virginiana): implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 https://doaj.org/article/cba1494005e34988a605276b861a4535 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 16, Iss 12, p e0010974 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 https://doaj.org/article/cba1494005e34988a605276b861a4535 |
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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010974 |
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PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
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12 |
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e0010974 |
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