Food web connections and the transmission cycles of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma evansi (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) in the Pantanal Region, Brazil

We examined by parasitological tests (hemocultures and buffy coat) infection by Trypanosoma cruzi and T. evansi in blood samples from Leopardus pardalis, Cerdocyon thous and domestic dogs. Besides, 25 T. cruzi isolates previously derived from feral pigs and small wild mammals were here characterized by miniexon gene and demonstrated to be in the TcI genotype. Herein, we make an overall analysis of the transmission cycle of both trypanosome species in the light of the assemblage of data collected over the last seven years. The carnivore Nasua nasua was confirmed to play a major role in the transmission cycles of both T. cruzi and T. evansi since it was the species that had the higher prevalence and higher parasitemias by both flagellate species. In addition, our results show that both trypanosomatid species may be found throughout the Pantanal landscape, in all forest strata, as shown by the infection of carnivore, arboreal and terrestrial scansorial marsupial species in complex and seasonal transmission cycles. We propose that transmission of T. cruzi and T. evansi in the southern Pantanal region takes place via an intricate ecological trophic network involving generalist and specialist mammal species that are linked through a robust food-web connection.