Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Active canine trypanosomiasis infection cycle in Costa Rica pets
By Bonilla, Marta C et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2019·Laboratorio de Docencia e Investigació·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine trypanosomiasis in an endemic Costa Rican community: Demonstration of the active infection cycle.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in a community in Costa Rica found that 6.4% of dogs tested positive for a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which can cause a disease known as canine trypanosomiasis. In a follow-up study, they observed that dogs living in homes with certain insects (triatomines) were more likely to become infected, with about 11% of those dogs testing positive over time. Only one of these dogs had a confirmed active infection through additional testing. The researchers suggest that pet owners should take steps to eliminate these insects from their homes to protect their dogs from infection.
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Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of canine trypanosomiasis in an endemic community of Costa Rica. The indirect hemagglutination and indirect immunofluorescence assay yielded positive results in 6.4% (20/314) of canine samples analyzed; polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and light microscopy yielded positive results in one dog. Subsequently, a longitudinal study was carried out with 55 negative T. cruzi canines in the cross-sectional study. These dogs were divided into two groups: Group 1, which consisted of 25 individuals that lived in dwellings where triatomines were found in their homes; and Group 2, which consisted of 30 dogs that lived in dwellings where triatomines were not found during the previous study in their homes. Seroconversion occurred in six dogs (10.9%) in Group 1 in the first months of the year (dry season); these dogs remained seropositive until the end of the study. Only one of the six seropositive canines was also found positive once in T. cruzi PCR. The analysis of the amplified T. cruzi sequences of dogs and triatomines showed that all of them belonged to the TcI lineage. It is recommended that residents be made aware of the need to eliminate vectors in their homes and their surroundings.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31303214/