Abstract
BackgroundNeotropical primates are important sylvatic hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. Infection is often subclinical, but severe disease has been described in both free-ranging and captive primates. Panstrongylus megistus, a major T. cruzi vector, was found infesting a small-primate unit at Brasília zoo (ZooB), Brazil. ZooB lies close to a gallery-forest patch where T. cruzi circulates naturally. Here, we combine parasitological and molecular methods to investigate a focus of T. cruzi infection involving triatomine bugs and Neotropical primates at a zoo located in the Brazilian Savannah.MethodsWe assessed T. cruzi infection in vectors using optical microscopy (n = 34) and nested PCR (n = 50). We used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to examine blood samples from 26 primates and necropsy samples from two primates that died during the study. We determined parasite lineages in five vectors and two primates by comparing glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (G6pi) gene sequences.ResultsTrypanosoma cruzi was found in 44 vectors and 17 primates (six genera and eight species); one Mico chrysoleucus and one Saguinus niger had high parasitaemias. Trypanosoma cruzi DNA was detected in three primates born to qPCR-negative mothers at ZooB and in the two dead specimens. One Callithrix geoffroyi became qPCR-positive over a two-year follow-up. All G6pi sequences matched T. cruzi lineage TcI.ConclusionsOur findings strongly suggest vector-borne T. cruzi transmission within a small-primate unit at ZooB – with vectors, and perhaps also parasites, presumably coming from nearby gallery forest. Periodic checks for vectors and parasites would help eliminate T. cruzi transmission foci in captive-animal facilities. This should be of special importance for captive-breeding programs involving endangered mammals, and would reduce the risk of accidental T. cruzi transmission to keepers and veterinarians.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1334-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Neotropical primates are important sylvatic hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease
Thirty-four of those triatomines arrived alive to the laboratory and were examined by OM; five (14.7 %) were found infected with T. cruzi (Table 1, Fig. 1). Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (nPCR) was positive in the five OMpositive bugs, in 24 OM-negative specimens, and in 15 bugs not examined by OM; overall nPCR positivity was 88 % (Table 1)
Three individuals with T. cruzi DNA-positive blood samples died during the study (Table 2); necropsy samples from two of them were submitted to quantitative PCR (qPCR), which detected small amounts of T. cruzi DNA (
Summary
Neotropical primates are important sylvatic hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. About one third of all protozoan parasite species detected in non-human primates can infect humans; Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is among the most epidemiologically relevant ones [1,2,3], [see http://www.mammalparasites.org]. Trypanosoma cruzi was detected in captive, wild-born Callithrix penicillata, Cebuella pygmaea, Saguinus imperator, and S. fuscicollis kept at the Brazilian National Primate Centre in Pará state [16]. Anti-T. cruzi antibodies were detected in 40 out of 198 captive primates (Cacajao, Callicebus, Callithrix, Cebus, Chiropotes, Leontopithecus, and Saguinus) from the Primatology Centre of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where transmission mediated by Panstrongylus megistus was suspected [17]. Captive Old World primates, including lemurs, macaques, baboons, and chimpanzees, can become naturally infected with T. cruzi and may develop severe Chagas disease [18,19,20,21,22]
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