Trypanosoma cruzi diversity in naturally infected nonhuman primates in Louisiana assessed by deep sequencing of the mini-exon gene.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Trypanosoma cruzi is a zoonotic pathogen of increasing relevance in the USA, with a growing number of autochthonous cases identified in recent years. The identification of parasite genotypes is key to understanding transmission cycles and their dynamics and consequently human infection. Natural T. cruzi infection is present in captive nonhuman primate colonies in the southern USA.

Methods

We investigated T. cruzi genetic diversity through a metabarcoding and next-generation sequencing approach of the mini-exon gene to characterize the parasite genotypes circulating in nonhuman primates in southern Louisiana.

Results

We confirmed the presence of T. cruzi in multiple tissues of 12 seropositive animals, including heart, liver, spleen and gut. The TcI discrete

SUBMITTER: Herrera C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6515898 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature