Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama Desert
<i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>, the protozoan causative of Chagas disease, is primarily transmitted through blood-sucking insects and infects mammalian and some reptilian hosts. In Chile, insects of the <i>Mepraia</i> genus are key vectors of <i>T. cruzi</i> in its wild...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Josefa Borcosque-Avendaño Nicol Quiroga Franco Cianferoni Gabriel Díaz-Campusano José Luis Marcos Carezza Botto-Mahan Fernando Torres-Pérez Antonella Bacigalupo Ricardo Campos-Soto |
| author_facet | Josefa Borcosque-Avendaño Nicol Quiroga Franco Cianferoni Gabriel Díaz-Campusano José Luis Marcos Carezza Botto-Mahan Fernando Torres-Pérez Antonella Bacigalupo Ricardo Campos-Soto |
| author_sort | Josefa Borcosque-Avendaño |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>, the protozoan causative of Chagas disease, is primarily transmitted through blood-sucking insects and infects mammalian and some reptilian hosts. In Chile, insects of the <i>Mepraia</i> genus are key vectors of <i>T. cruzi</i> in its wild transmission cycle. High prevalence and mixed infection of <i>T. cruzi</i> lineages have been reported in a <i>Mepraia</i> population on Santa María Island in the Atacama Desert. However, no small mammals have been reported. The island’s vertebrate community is dominated by the lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i> and marine and scavenger birds. This study aimed to research blood samples of <i>M. atacamensis</i> for the presence of <i>T. cruzi</i> DNA (kDNA and satDNA) using conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and estimate parasitemia. Our findings reveal that 39.4% of 33 individuals were positive with both cPCR and qPCR, while when assessing infection with either technique, it rises up to 81.8%. These findings confirm that <i>M. atacamensis</i> is a host of <i>T. cruzi</i>, suggesting its potential role as a key reservoir in the island’s transmission cycle. This study provides new insights into the life cycle of <i>T. cruzi</i> in the coastal Atacama Desert, highlighting the importance of reptiles in the epidemiology of this parasite. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-a4dad10057d149418f4e06a19771837d2025-08-20T02:30:45ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-04-01159122110.3390/ani15091221Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama DesertJosefa Borcosque-Avendaño0Nicol Quiroga1Franco Cianferoni2Gabriel Díaz-Campusano3José Luis Marcos4Carezza Botto-Mahan5Fernando Torres-Pérez6Antonella Bacigalupo7Ricardo Campos-Soto8Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar 2572007, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, ChileInstituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2373223, ChileInstituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2373223, ChileFacultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar 2572007, ChileDepartamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, ChileInstituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2373223, ChileSchool of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UKFacultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar 2572007, Chile<i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>, the protozoan causative of Chagas disease, is primarily transmitted through blood-sucking insects and infects mammalian and some reptilian hosts. In Chile, insects of the <i>Mepraia</i> genus are key vectors of <i>T. cruzi</i> in its wild transmission cycle. High prevalence and mixed infection of <i>T. cruzi</i> lineages have been reported in a <i>Mepraia</i> population on Santa María Island in the Atacama Desert. However, no small mammals have been reported. The island’s vertebrate community is dominated by the lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i> and marine and scavenger birds. This study aimed to research blood samples of <i>M. atacamensis</i> for the presence of <i>T. cruzi</i> DNA (kDNA and satDNA) using conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and estimate parasitemia. Our findings reveal that 39.4% of 33 individuals were positive with both cPCR and qPCR, while when assessing infection with either technique, it rises up to 81.8%. These findings confirm that <i>M. atacamensis</i> is a host of <i>T. cruzi</i>, suggesting its potential role as a key reservoir in the island’s transmission cycle. This study provides new insights into the life cycle of <i>T. cruzi</i> in the coastal Atacama Desert, highlighting the importance of reptiles in the epidemiology of this parasite.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/9/1221<i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>reptileswild <i>T. cruzi</i> cycle<i>Microlophus</i>Chagas disease |
| spellingShingle | Josefa Borcosque-Avendaño Nicol Quiroga Franco Cianferoni Gabriel Díaz-Campusano José Luis Marcos Carezza Botto-Mahan Fernando Torres-Pérez Antonella Bacigalupo Ricardo Campos-Soto Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama Desert Animals <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> reptiles wild <i>T. cruzi</i> cycle <i>Microlophus</i> Chagas disease |
| title | Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama Desert |
| title_full | Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama Desert |
| title_fullStr | Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama Desert |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama Desert |
| title_short | Detection of <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> DNA in Blood of the Lizard <i>Microlophus atacamensis</i>: Understanding the <i>T. cruzi</i> Cycle in a Coastal Island of the Atacama Desert |
| title_sort | detection of i trypanosoma cruzi i dna in blood of the lizard i microlophus atacamensis i understanding the i t cruzi i cycle in a coastal island of the atacama desert |
| topic | <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> reptiles wild <i>T. cruzi</i> cycle <i>Microlophus</i> Chagas disease |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/9/1221 |
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