title: Survey of Feral Swine ( Sus scrofa ) Infection with the Agent of Chagas Disease ( Trypanosoma cruzi ) in Texas, 2013-14.
abstract: : Feral swine ( Sus scrofa ) are an invasive species and reservoir of numerous zoonotic pathogens in the US, and Texas leads the nation in the estimated population size of feral hogs. Texas also harbors enzootic transmission cycles of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi , agent of Chagas disease. Given previous evidence that swine can serve as reservoirs of T. cruzi in Latin America and new evidence of triatomines (kissing bugs) feeding on swine in Texas, we measured the prevalence of T. cruzi infection in feral swine in Texas. From 2013 to 2014, we sampled blood and/or cardiac tissue from 78 feral swine across 14 Texas counties (seven with and seven without prior documentation of kissing bug occurrence) and used PCR and histopathology to detect T. cruzi infection. We determined an overall infection prevalence of 6% (3 of 54) based on PCR evaluation of cardiac tissue, and no blood samples were positive (n=72). All three positive pigs were from counties where kissing bugs are documented. No T. cruzi amastigotes were noted on histopathology (n=54). Sarcocysts were observed in 10 (18%) of the samples, five of which also had mild focal areas of degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration. Eco-epidemiologic investigations can provide an assessment of contributions of feral hogs to maintenance of T. cruzi across a landscape to help protect human and animal health.
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4458 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA;
authors.forename: Juliette M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Comeaux
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4458 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA;
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Curtis-Robles
authors.affiliation: 2 Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, PO Drawer 3040, College Station, Texas 77841-3040, USA;
authors.forename: Barbara C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4458 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA;
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.affiliation: 3 USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services, PO Box 690170, San Antonio, Texas 78269-0170, USA;
authors.forename: Brian T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Mesenbrink
authors.affiliation: 3 USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services, PO Box 690170, San Antonio, Texas 78269-0170, USA;
authors.forename: Bruce R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Leland
authors.affiliation: 3 USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services, PO Box 690170, San Antonio, Texas 78269-0170, USA;
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bodenchuk
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4458 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843, USA;
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hamer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi
keywords: Chagas disease; Sus scrofa; Texas; Trypanosoma cruzi; feral swine