A Survey of Trypanosoma cruzi in Rodent Reservoir Populations in Peri-Urban Areas in Arequipa, Peru

Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, a parasitic disease that affects 10-20 million people in Central and South America. While there have been studies that indicate several common reservoir hosts, little has been done to demonstrate infection in the wild rodent population. In this study, we want to understand the prevalence of disease in the wild rodent reservoirs in the peri-urban neighborhood of Mariano Melgar.  Out of 34 rats surveyed 22 (64.7%) were positive for Trypanosomes. Of this sample 6 were positive by microscopy, 11 were positive by PCR (121/122 primer set), and 13 were positive by ELISA.  In total, 16 out of 34 (47.0%) rats sampled were positive for T. cruzi by either ELISA or PCR (121/122 primer set). We also were able to use this preliminary data to create a map using ArcGIS to demonstrate the density of rats caught on the urban gradient. Understanding the prevalence of disease in wild rodents in urban areas will enable a broader grasp of the transmission dynamics and the infectivity of Chagas disease and could provide a potential target for future Chagas disease interventions.