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Sylvatic Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi Among Domestic and Wildlife Reservoirs in Texas, USA : A Review of the Historical Literature
Author(s) -
Gunter S. M.,
Brown E. L.,
Gorchakov R.,
Murray K. O.,
Garcia M. N.
Publication year - 2017
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.12330
Subject(s) - trypanosoma cruzi , wildlife , triatominae , transmission (telecommunications) , chagas disease , biology , vector (molecular biology) , population , range (aeronautics) , disease reservoir , zoology , wildlife disease , ecology , parasite hosting , virology , environmental health , medicine , recombinant dna , biochemistry , materials science , world wide web , computer science , gene , electrical engineering , composite material , engineering
Summary Chagas disease ( Trypanosoma cruzi infection) is one of the most important neglected tropical diseases affecting the Americas. The transmission dynamic of this parasite is a complicated process that involves three genera of Triatominae subfamily and over 100 known mammalian reservoirs composed of domestic, peridomestic and wildlife species. Understanding the complex relationship between vector species and mammalian hosts is important for preventing transmission to humans. We performed a historical literature review to assess the disease burden in the Texas wildlife and domestic animal population. Reports of sylvatic transmission in Texas date back to the 1940s. We found that up to 23 species can serve as reservoirs for T. cruzi in the state with wood rats, raccoons, and wild and domestic canine species most frequently reported as positive for the parasite. We finish with a discussion of the current research gaps, implications for high‐risk populations and future directions for research.