Chagas's diseases in the Amazon Basin: I. Trypanosoma cruzi infections in silvatic mammals, triatomine bugs and man in the State of Pará, north Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Lainson, Ralph
• Data de Publicação: 1979
• Outros Autores: Shaw, Jeffrey Jon, Fraiha Neto, Habib, Miles, M. A, Draper, C. C
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Digital do Instituto Evandro Chagas (Patuá)
• Texto Completo: https://patua.iec.gov.br/handle/iec/795
• topic: Doença de Chagas / diagnóstico; Doença de Chagas / epidemiologia; Doença de Chagas / veterinária; Anticorpos / análise; Triatominae / imunologia; Camundongos; Pará (PA)

A total of 1,197 wild animaIs trom Pará State north Brazil, were examined for haematozoa. Trypanosoma cruzi-like parasites were found in 13 different species, and were particularly common in a variety ofmarsupials (Didelphidae), porcupines (Coendou spp.), armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctu) and coatimundis (Nasua nasua). Three human infections are reported, making a total of seven autochthonous cases of Chagas's disease from Pará since lhe first were described in 1969. A serological survey of5,319 inhabitants from he Belém suburbs revealed 14 positive reactions with immunofluorescent antibody titres greater than 1 :64, and 15 equivocal reactions at 1 :16. No evidence was found of silvatic species of triatomine bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) colonizing houses, but occasional infected specimens of Panstrongylus geniculatus and Rhodnius pictipes were ound in suburban houses, near lhe forest. Human infection is considered to be silvatic in origin. Chagas's disease could become endemic in the Amazon Basin if silvatic triatomine bugs were able to adapt to a domestic habitat: lhe real danger, however, is in lhe possible importation of already domiciliated vector-species along lhe newly opened highways, from other endemic regions of Brazil. Other Trypanosoma species were recorded in a variety of wild animaIs. Haemogregarines were ound in some marsupiaIs and rodents, and piro- plasms in marsupiaIs and a single armadillo.