Raccoons As an Important Reservoir for <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>: A Prevalence Study from Two Metropolitan Areas in Louisiana

Majeau, Alicia; Pronovost, Henry; Sanford, Anna; Cloherty, Erin; Anderson, Adrienne; Balsamo, Gary; Gee, Laura; Straif-Bourgeois, Susanne; Herrera, Claudia

doi:10.1089/vbz.2019.2559

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Here we present the most comprehensive report, thus far, of T. cruzi infection prevalence across an urban landscape, providing further support for the supposition that Chagas disease is an emerging urban zoonosis [23,44,45]. Despite evidence of transmission risk within densely populated cities elsewhere [23][24][25][26], work describing the prevalence of T. cruzi in the USA has largely focused on natural and peri-urban areas [13] like those where autochthonous cases of Chagas disease have been detected [46]. Our results demonstrate that T. cruzi is circulating in urban rodent populations across New Orleans at an overall prevalence of 11%.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Determining the occurrence of vectors in New Orleans would offer a more complete characterization of local transmission cycle(s) and thus clarify the risk of transmission to humans across the city. Likewise, further assessment of conditions in Baton Rouge would help resolve apparent inconsistencies between our results and evidence from prior studies showing that racoons harbor high levels of infection across the city [26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…In part, this is because limited trapping as well as a focus on hosts with large range sizes and high mobility has prevented identification of the point(s) of infection. This is well illustrated by a recent study [26] conducted in New Orleans and Baton Rouge that found evidence of high infection prevalence (23-43%) in raccoons (Procyon lotor), which can readily travel between urban and nearby natural areas [51]. Commensal rodents, on the other hand, typically move < 200 m from their nest [52][53][54][55].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…opossums, raccoons and rodents) in urban areas of the Caracas Valley of Venezuela and southeastern Louisiana (e.g. shelter dogs, raccoons and rodents) support the supposition that Chagas disease is an emergent urban zoonosis [23][24][25][26], highlighting the need for further understanding of infection prevalence in hosts that reside within USA cities [20,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…All DNA extractions were tested for the presence of T. cruzi through PCR amplification of highly repetitive nuclear satellite DNA (satDNA) using primers TcZ1 and TcZ2 [43]. Infection status was determined based on electrophoresis of PCR products on an ethidium bromide stained 2.0% agarose gel run for 50 min at 100 V, with the presence of a 188-bp band qualifying a sample as positive for T. cruzi [26], confirmed through comparisons to negative controls.…”

Section: Infection Assaymentioning

confidence: 99%

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In the heart of the city: Trypanosoma cruzi infection prevalence in rodents across New Orleans

et al. 2020

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Background Trypanosoma cruzi - the causative agent of Chagas disease - is known to circulate in commensal pests, but its occurrence in urban environments is not well understood. We addressed this deficit by determining the distribution and prevalence of T. cruzi infection in urban populations of commensal and wild rodents across New Orleans (Louisiana, USA). We assessed whether T. cruzi prevalence varies according to host species identity and species co-occurrences, and whether T. cruzi prevalence varies across mosaics of abandonment that shape urban rodent demography and assemblage structure in the city. Methods Leveraging city-wide population and assemblage surveys, we tested 1428 rodents comprising 5 species (cotton rats, house mice, Norway rats, rice rats and roof rats) captured at 98 trapping sites in 11 study areas across New Orleans including nine residential neighborhoods and a natural area in Orleans Parish and a neighborhood in St. Bernard Parish. We also assayed Norway rats at one site in Baton Rouge (Louisiana, USA). We used chi-square tests to determine whether infection prevalence differed among host species, among study areas, and among trapping sites according to the number of host species present. We used generalized linear mixed models to identify predictors of T. cruzi infection for all rodents and each host species, respectively. Results We detected T. cruzi in all host species in all study areas in New Orleans, but not in Baton Rouge. Though overall infection prevalence was 11%, it varied by study area and trapping site. There was no difference in prevalence by species, but roof rats exhibited the broadest geographical distribution of infection across the city. Infected rodents were trapped in densely populated neighborhoods like the French Quarter. Infection prevalence seasonally varied with abandonment, increasing with greater abandonment during the summer and declining with greater abandonment during the winter. Conclusions Our findings illustrate that T. cruzi can be widespread in urban landscapes, suggesting that transmission and disease risk is greater than is currently recognized. Our findings also suggest that there is disproportionate risk of transmission in historically underserved communities, which could reinforce long-standing socioecological disparities in New Orleans and elsewhere.

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