title: American tripanosomiasis: a study on the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma cruzi-like organisms in wild rodents in San Luis province, Argentina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Wild and perianthropic mammals maintain the infection/transmission cycle, both in their natural habitat and in the peridomestic area. The aim of this paper was to present the results from a study on wild rodents in the central and northern regions of San Luis province, Argentina, in order to evaluate the prevalence of this infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sherman traps were set up in capture areas located between latitudes 32 masculine and 33 masculine S, and longitudes 65 masculine and 66 masculine W. The captured rodents were taxonomically identified and hemoflagellates were isolated. Morphological, biometric and molecular studies and in vitro cultures were performed. Infection of laboratory animals and histological examination of the cardiac muscle and inoculation area were also carried out. Parasites were detected in circulating blood in Calomys musculinus, Graomys griseoflavus, Phyllotis darwini and Akodon molinae. The parasites were identified using biological criteria. Molecular PCR studies were performed on some isolates, which confirmed the characterization of these hemoflagellates as Trypanosoma cruzi.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Forty-four percent of the 25 isolates were identified as Trypanosoma cruzi, and the remaining 56% as Trypanosoma cruzi-like. These findings provide evidence that wild rats infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma cruzi-like organisms are important in areas of low endemicity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina. abrigad@unsl.edu.ar
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brigada
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Doña
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caviedes-Vidal
authors.forename: Edgardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Basso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000469:parasitology*; D001118:Argentina; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000635:transmission; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015995:Prevalence; D051381:Rats; D012377:Rodentia / Q000469:parasitology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*