Loading…
Trypanosoma cruzi congenital transmission in wild bats
Trypanosoma cruzi congenital transmission in wild bats ( Molossus molossus), associated with infected Rhodnius prolixus in a natural habitat from a rural locality in western Venezuela, is reported. T. cruzi blood circulating trypomastigotes in a pregnant bat were detected by parasitological methods....
Saved in:
Published in: | Acta tropica 2009, Vol.109 (1), p.78-80 |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | Trypanosoma cruzi congenital transmission in wild bats (
Molossus molossus), associated with infected
Rhodnius prolixus in a natural habitat from a rural locality in western Venezuela, is reported.
T. cruzi blood circulating trypomastigotes in a pregnant bat were detected by parasitological methods. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays carried out in samples from the heart and the fetus of the same infected female, revealed the presence of
T. cruzi-specific DNA in both of the tissues, demonstrating transmission of the infection from the mother to the offspring. Eighty percent of the captured bats and 100% of the examined fetuses from pregnant specimens were shown to be infected by
T. cruzi, indicating that
M. molossus is a very susceptible species for this parasite, and that
T. cruzi congenital transmission is a common phenomenon in nature. To our knowledge, this seems to be the first report on congenital
T. cruzi transmission in wild bats in Venezuela. The circulation of
T. cruzi lineage I in the study area was demonstrated by typing the isolates from bats and triatomine bugs captured in the same habitat. The potential epidemiological implication of these findings in areas where Chagas disease is endemic is discussed. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0001-706X 1873-6254 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.actatropica.2008.08.009 |