Morales Melisa E, Cimino Rubén, Mackern-Oberti Juan P, Muñoz-San Martín Catalina, Cattan Pedro E, Superina Mariella
Laboratorio de Medicina y Endocrinología de la Fauna Silvestre, IMBECU, UNCuyo - CONICET, Av. Dr. Adrian Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín, Mendoza, Argentina.
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Cátedra de Química Biológica, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina.
Ecohealth. 2025 Mar;22(1):79-90. doi: 10.1007/s10393-024-01693-8. Epub 2025 Jan 14.
Urban domestic dog populations can provide important clues about the eco-epidemiological characteristics of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease (ChD). Given the limited data on ChD from the Metropolitan Area of Mendoza, Argentina, a seroprevalence survey of 327 dogs across an urban-rural gradient was conducted between April 2018 and May 2019. Seropositive cases were analyzed considering host, social, and environmental factors, subtypes (DTUs), and bloodstream parasite load. Seroprevalence of infection by T. cruzi total antigens (ELISA-H) was similar in urban (18%), interface (14%), and rural (21%) areas. Serotyping (recombinant TSSA-II antigen ELISA) revealed that 61% (37/61) of seropositive dogs carried the subtypes TcII, V and/or VI. There was no difference in the proportion of seropositive dogs versus seronegative dogs that lived with a person with ChD (9/62 = 14% vs. 35/265 = 13%, respectively). Parasite loads in seropositive dogs varied between < 0.10 and 1.18 parasite-equivalents/ml. Dogs with T. cruzi infection were in good health and nutritional condition, suggesting that they may have indeterminate or chronic stage infections. High infection rates in all areas and limited knowledge of owners about ChD and its triatomine vectors emphasize the need to intensify entomological studies, especially in urban areas, and promote vector information campaigns. This work shows that screening of dogs is a beneficial epidemiological tool to deepen studies on ChD from a One Health perspective.
城市家犬群体可为恰加斯病（ChD）病原体克氏锥虫的生态流行病学特征提供重要线索。鉴于阿根廷门多萨大都市区关于恰加斯病的数据有限，于2018年4月至2019年5月对327只犬进行了一项城乡梯度血清流行率调查。对血清阳性病例从宿主、社会和环境因素、亚型（离散型单元，DTUs）以及血流寄生虫负荷方面进行了分析。克氏锥虫总抗原（ELISA-H）感染的血清流行率在城市（18%）、城乡结合部（14%）和农村（21%）地区相似。血清分型（重组TSSA-II抗原ELISA）显示，61%（37/61）的血清阳性犬携带TcII、V和/或VI亚型。与患有恰加斯病的人生活在一起的血清阳性犬与血清阴性犬的比例没有差异（分别为9/62 = 14%和35/265 = 13%）。血清阳性犬的寄生虫负荷在<0.10至1.18个寄生虫当量/毫升之间变化。感染克氏锥虫的犬健康状况和营养状况良好，表明它们可能处于不确定或慢性感染阶段。所有地区的高感染率以及犬主对恰加斯病及其锥蝽传播媒介的了解有限，强调了加强昆虫学研究的必要性，尤其是在城市地区，并开展传播媒介信息宣传活动。这项工作表明，从“同一健康”视角来看，对犬进行筛查是深化恰加斯病研究的有益流行病学工具。
