Dogs and their role in the eco-epidemiology of Chagas disease

CARDINAL MV; GURTLER RE

Dog Parasites Endangering Human Health

Springer

Lugar: Charn; Año: 2020; p. 73 - 106

Chagas disease, caused by infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, is an importantdisease of humans and dogs in the Americas. Here, we review aspects ofcanine Chagas disease with emphasis on its diagnosis, eco-epidemiology,transmission and control, and the role of dogs as a risk factor for humaninfection and sentinel animals. Dogs may become infected through multipleroutes mediated by triatomine bugs, including consumption of mammal preys;maintain T. cruzi in the absence of any other host species (a primary reservoirhost); provide a bridge between sylvatic, peridomestic and domestictransmission cycles, and increase bug population size. Dog blood meals werereported in ≥31 triatomine species collected in domestic and/or peridomestichabitats. A systematic search including 309 published reports showed that theprevalence of T. cruzi infection in dogs typically varied from 10 to 30% acrossthe Americas, and sometimes exceeded 50%. Serological cross-reactivity withother potentially co-endemic trypanosomatids supports the use of morespecific methods for confirmation. Xenodiagnosis-based assessments showedthat the mean infectiousness of T. cruzi-seropositive dogs to seropositivehumans differed by 4?10×. Mathematical modeling supports that dogs amplifydomestic parasite transmission. House residual spraying with pyrethroidinsecticides provided high levels of protection to both humans and dogs inendemic areas.