High Trypanosoma cruzi prevalence in armadillo (Zaedyus pichiy; Xenarthra: Chlamyphoridae) populations from Mendoza, Argentina

MORALES, MELISA E.; CAMPO VERDE ARBOCCO, F.; MUÑOZ-SAN MARTÍN, C.; ABBA, AGUSTÍN M.; RÍOS, TATIANA A.; CASSINI, G. H.; CATTAN, PEDRO E.; JAHN, GRACIELA A.; SUPERINA, MARIELLA

PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2023

0932-0113

Armadillos are considered important reservoir hosts for Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. The first report of T. cruzi infection in pichis (Zaedyus pichiy), a small armadillo species endemic to central Argentina and Chile, dates back to 1935. However, more recent reports on T. cruzi in this species are scarce. The objective of this study was to assess T. cruzi infection and parasite load in Z. pichiy from Mendoza province, an area endemic to human Chagas disease. Blood samples were obtained in 2014–2016 from pichis from Lavalle (low Monte), Malargüe (Patagonian steppe), and San Carlos (ecotone) departments, Mendoza Province, Argentina. The detection and quantification of T. cruzi was performed through qPCR amplification using satellite primers. Of the 265 analyzed samples, 201 (76%) were positive for T. cruzi. Parasite loads varied between