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First Report of Human Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Attributed to TcBat Genotype
Author(s) -
Ramírez J. D.,
Hernández C.,
Montilla M.,
Zambrano P.,
Flórez A. C.,
Parra E.,
Cucunubá Z. M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
zoonoses and public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1863-2378
pISSN - 1863-1959
DOI - 10.1111/zph.12094
Subject(s) - trypanosoma cruzi , chagas disease , genotype , epidemiology , biology , virology , typing , molecular epidemiology , public health , disease , medicine , genetics , parasite hosting , gene , pathology , world wide web , computer science
Summary Chagas disease is an endemic disease of the American continent caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and divided into six discrete typing units (TcI – Tc VI ). Nearly 10 million people harbour the infection representing a serious issue in public health. Epidemiological surveillance allowed us to detect a bat‐related T. cruzi genotype (henceforth named TcBat) in a 5‐year‐old female living in a forest area in northwestern Colombia. Molecular tools determined a mixed infection of T. cruzi I and TcBat genotypes. This represents the first report of TcBat infection in humans; the epidemiological consequences of this finding are discussed herein.