Ecological Connectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi Reservoirs and Triatoma pallidipennis Hosts in an Anthropogenic Landscape with Endemic Chagas Disease
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Issue Date
2012-09-26Author
Ramsey, Janine M.
Gutiérrez-Cabrera, Ana E.
Salgado-Ramírez, Liliana
Peterson, A. Townsend
Sánchez-Cordero, Víctor
Ibarra-Cerdeña, Carlos N.
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Rights
© Ramsey et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Traditional methods for Chagas disease prevention are targeted at domestic vector reduction, as well as control of transfusion and maternal-fetal transmission. Population connectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected vectors and hosts, among sylvatic, ecotone and domestic habitats could jeopardize targeted efforts to reduce human exposure. This connectivity was evaluated in a Mexican community with reports of high vector infestation, human infection, and Chagas disease, surrounded by agricultural and natural areas. We surveyed bats, rodents, and triatomines in dry and rainy seasons in three adjacent habitats (domestic, ecotone, sylvatic), and measured T. cruzi prevalence, and host feeding sources of triatomines. Of 12 bat and 7 rodent species, no bat tested positive for T. cruzi, but all rodent species tested positive in at least one season or habitat. Highest T. cruzi infection prevalence was found in the rodents, Baiomys musculus and Neotoma mexicana. In general, parasite prevalence was not related to habitat or season, although the sylvatic habitat had higher infection prevalence than by chance, during the dry season. Wild and domestic mammals were identified as bloodmeals of T. pallidipennis, with 9% of individuals having mixed human (4.8% single human) and other mammal species in bloodmeals, especially in the dry season; these vectors tested >50% positive for T. cruzi. Overall, ecological connectivity is broad across this matrix, based on high rodent community similarity, vector and T. cruzi presence. Cost-effective T. cruzi, vector control strategies and Chagas disease transmission prevention will need to consider continuous potential for parasite movement over the entire landscape. This study provides clear evidence that these strategies will need to include reservoir/host species in at least ecotones, in addition to domestic habitats.
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Citation
Ramsey, J. M., Gutiérrez-Cabrera, A. E., Salgado-Ramírez, L., Peterson, A. T., Sánchez-Cordero, V., & Ibarra-Cerdeña, C. N. (2012). Ecological Connectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi Reservoirs and Triatoma pallidipennis Hosts in an Anthropogenic Landscape with Endemic Chagas Disease. PLoS ONE, 7(9). http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0046013
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as: © Ramsey et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.