Molecular and serological detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in a domestic cat from Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v18i1.6217Keywords:
Trypanosoma cruzi, Chagas disease, American tripanosomiasis, domestic cats, zoonosis, PCRAbstract
Introduction: Trypanosoma cruzi is the protozoan that causes Chagas disease, a zoonotic infection of major relevance in Latin America. Dogs are the main peridomestic reservoirs, and the role of cats has been less explored. Objective: To check for T. cruzi in domestic cats from Costa Rica's Central Valley as a baseline for its possible role in urban and peridomestic infection cycles. Methods: We analyzed serum and DNA from 155 cats collected in mid-2021 using Indirect Hemagglutination (IHA), Indirect Fluorescent (IFA), and PCR assays. Results: One cat (0,6%) tested positive across all three platforms. Genetic sequencing revealed a 100% identity match with a rodent-derived strain from Texas (GenBank: LT220278). Conclusion: Our detection of a confirmed T. cruzi infection in a domestic cat demonstrates that the parasite is present in very low levels in some Costa Rican urban environments.
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