High rates of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in goats from Mendoza province, Argentina: Parasite loads in blood and seasonal variation

• Published in: Acta tropica 2020-08, Vol.208, p.105493-105493, Article 105493
• Main Authors: Muñoz-San Martín, Catalina, Campo Verde Arbocco, Fiorella, Saavedra, Miguel, Actis, Esteban A., Ríos, Tatiana A., Abba, Agustín M., Morales, Melisa E., Cattan, Pedro E., Jahn, Graciela A., Superina, Mariella
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Goat; Parasitemia; Seasonal variation; Trypanosoma cruzi
• ISSN: 0001-706X; 1873-6254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105493

•86-95% goats in Mendoza, Argentina were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi in spring.•Parasite loads were low in all goats tested.•Frequency of infection and parasite loads were higher in spring than in fall.•Infection rates by department were unrelated to goat management type.•Persistence of T. cruzi is confirmed in rural areas of Mendoza. Mendoza province, in central west Argentina, is considered among the high-risk provinces for vector transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Extensive goat farming is common in large parts of rural Mendoza, and goats may act as a reservoir for this parasite. The objective of this study was to determine infection rates, parasite loads, and seasonal variation of these parameters in T. cruzi infection in goats from rural areas of three departments of Mendoza. A total of 349 peripheral blood samples with EDTA / guanidine were analyzed from goats on 11 farms (three in Lavalle, three in San Carlos, and five in Malargüe department) in spring of 2014, 2015, and 2016; and in fall of 2015 and 2016 (only Malargüe). DNA was extracted using a Phenol: Chloroform: Isoamyl protocol. The detection and quantification of T. cruzi was performed through qPCR amplification using satellite oligonucleotides. Of the 349 blood samples, 267 (77%) were positive, with parasite loads ranging between