Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Trypanosoma cruzi infection found in 29% of dogs in rural
By Mesa-Arciniegas, Paola et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2018·Facultad de Ciencias de la salud Programa de Bacteriologí·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Trypanosoma cruzi infection in naturally infected dogs from an endemic region of Cundinamarca, Colombia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that nearly 30% of dogs in a rural area of La Mesa, Colombia, tested positive for Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that can cause serious health issues. The researchers collected blood samples from 356 dogs and discovered that the infection was more common in rural dogs, likely due to exposure to triatomine bugs, which carry the parasite. This is the first report of such infections in dogs from this region, highlighting the need for monitoring and control of these insects to protect pets from potential illness.
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Abstract
The seropositivity and risk factors for Trypanosoma cruzi infection in dogs from a municipality of Cundinamarca, a central state of Colombia were studied. A total of 356 client-owned dogs from urban, peri-urban and rural areas of La Mesa municipality, (Cundinamarca, Colombia) were randomly selected. Blood samples were collected by venipuncture. Anti-T. cruzi antibodies were determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Reactive ELISA sera were processed by indirect immunofluorescence to confirm the presence of anti-T. cruzi antibodies. Chi-square tests were conducted for statistical analysis. Serologic tests for T. cruzi infection showed a prevalence of 29.49% (105/356), the rural area show a highest T. cruzi infection pattern in comparison with the other zone locations. Two triatomine species were found through the study: Panstrongylus geniculatus (53.4%) and Rhodnius colombiensis (46.6%). The prevalence of positive vectors for parasite was of 52.1% (38/73). Additionally, a very close relation between triatomine bugs and dogs in the rural zone (1:3.1) was observed. These results are the first report of natural infection by T. cruzi in domestic dogs in La Mesa municipality. In conclusion, the presence of anti-T. cruzi antibodies in dogs in this area suggest vector transmission. There is a need for active surveillance programs throughout the La Mesa municipality and vector control strategies should also be implemented.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31014732/