Open AccessLeishmania chagasi in Opossums (Didelphis albiventris) in an Urban Area Endemic for Visceral Leishmaniasis, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Author(s) -
Roberta M.P. Humberg,
Elisa Teruya Oshiro,
Maria do Socorro Pires e Cruz,
Paulo Eduardo Martins Ribolla,
Diego Peres Alonso,
Alda Maria Teixeira Ferreira,
Raquel A. Bonamigo,
Norton Tasso,
Alessandra Gutierrez de Oliveira
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
american journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.015
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1476-1645
pISSN - 0002-9637
DOI - 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0534
Subject(s) - leishmania chagasi , visceral leishmaniasis , didelphis , biology , leishmaniasis , polymerase chain reaction , veterinary medicine , opossum , virology , immunology , ecology , medicine , genetics , gene
We investigated the occurrence of Leishmania infantum chagasi in Didelphis albiventris opossums at a wild animal rehabilitation center in the city of Campo Grande, Brazil. A total of 54 opossums were tested for L. i. chagasi infection in peripheral blood and bone marrow samples. The samples were analyzed by direct examination, culturing in a specific medium, and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Leishmania i. chagasi DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 11 (20.37%) animals. A total of 81.81% of positive opossums were captured in areas of known visceral leishmaniasis transmission. These results suggest a role for D. albiventris in the urban transmission of visceral leishmaniasis.
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