Changes in biodiversity drive trypanosome infections of wildlife in Panama.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how anthropogenic disturbances impact biodiversity and zoonotic disease transmission is critical for safeguarding human and animal health. In Panama, we studied the effects of these disturbances on wildlife populations and Trypanosoma cruzi infections, which cause Chagas disease in humans, at 23 different sites ranging from pristine forests to heavily altered monocultures. Our results indicate that human disturbance leads to increased trypanosome infection rates, primarily through two mechanisms: the proliferation of generalist marsupial host species, specifically Didelphis marsupialis and Philander opossum, which are key reservoirs for Trypanosoma cruzi, and a decline in the genetic diversity of the alternative rodent host Proechimys semispinos

SUBMITTER: Meyer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12226096 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature