TY - JOUR
T1 - In the heart of the city
T2 - Trypanosoma cruzi infection prevalence in rodents across New Orleans
AU - Ghersi, Bruno M.
AU - Peterson, Anna C.
AU - Gibson, Nathaniel L.
AU - Dash, Asha
AU - Elmayan, Ardem
AU - Schwartzenburg, Hannah
AU - Tu, Weihong
AU - Riegel, Claudia
AU - Herrera, Claudia
AU - Blum, Michael J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Tulane-Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research, the Tulane ByWater Institute, the US National Science Foundation (BCS-0948993, BCS-1313703), the Tulane University Carol Lavin Bernick Faculty Grant Program, and the Louisiana Board of Regents. Acknowledgements
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Background: Trypanosoma cruzi - the causative agent of Chagas disease - is known to circulate in commensal pests, but its occurrence in urban environments is not well understood. We addressed this deficit by determining the distribution and prevalence of T. cruzi infection in urban populations of commensal and wild rodents across New Orleans (Louisiana, USA). We assessed whether T. cruzi prevalence varies according to host species identity and species co-occurrences, and whether T. cruzi prevalence varies across mosaics of abandonment that shape urban rodent demography and assemblage structure in the city. Methods: Leveraging city-wide population and assemblage surveys, we tested 1428 rodents comprising 5 species (cotton rats, house mice, Norway rats, rice rats and roof rats) captured at 98 trapping sites in 11 study areas across New Orleans including nine residential neighborhoods and a natural area in Orleans Parish and a neighborhood in St. Bernard Parish. We also assayed Norway rats at one site in Baton Rouge (Louisiana, USA). We used chi-square tests to determine whether infection prevalence differed among host species, among study areas, and among trapping sites according to the number of host species present. We used generalized linear mixed models to identify predictors of T. cruzi infection for all rodents and each host species, respectively. Results: We detected T. cruzi in all host species in all study areas in New Orleans, but not in Baton Rouge. Though overall infection prevalence was 11%, it varied by study area and trapping site. There was no difference in prevalence by species, but roof rats exhibited the broadest geographical distribution of infection across the city. Infected rodents were trapped in densely populated neighborhoods like the French Quarter. Infection prevalence seasonally varied with abandonment, increasing with greater abandonment during the summer and declining with greater abandonment during the winter. Conclusions: Our findings illustrate that T. cruzi can be widespread in urban landscapes, suggesting that transmission and disease risk is greater than is currently recognized. Our findings also suggest that there is disproportionate risk of transmission in historically underserved communities, which could reinforce long-standing socioecological disparities in New Orleans and elsewhere.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]
AB - Background: Trypanosoma cruzi - the causative agent of Chagas disease - is known to circulate in commensal pests, but its occurrence in urban environments is not well understood. We addressed this deficit by determining the distribution and prevalence of T. cruzi infection in urban populations of commensal and wild rodents across New Orleans (Louisiana, USA). We assessed whether T. cruzi prevalence varies according to host species identity and species co-occurrences, and whether T. cruzi prevalence varies across mosaics of abandonment that shape urban rodent demography and assemblage structure in the city. Methods: Leveraging city-wide population and assemblage surveys, we tested 1428 rodents comprising 5 species (cotton rats, house mice, Norway rats, rice rats and roof rats) captured at 98 trapping sites in 11 study areas across New Orleans including nine residential neighborhoods and a natural area in Orleans Parish and a neighborhood in St. Bernard Parish. We also assayed Norway rats at one site in Baton Rouge (Louisiana, USA). We used chi-square tests to determine whether infection prevalence differed among host species, among study areas, and among trapping sites according to the number of host species present. We used generalized linear mixed models to identify predictors of T. cruzi infection for all rodents and each host species, respectively. Results: We detected T. cruzi in all host species in all study areas in New Orleans, but not in Baton Rouge. Though overall infection prevalence was 11%, it varied by study area and trapping site. There was no difference in prevalence by species, but roof rats exhibited the broadest geographical distribution of infection across the city. Infected rodents were trapped in densely populated neighborhoods like the French Quarter. Infection prevalence seasonally varied with abandonment, increasing with greater abandonment during the summer and declining with greater abandonment during the winter. Conclusions: Our findings illustrate that T. cruzi can be widespread in urban landscapes, suggesting that transmission and disease risk is greater than is currently recognized. Our findings also suggest that there is disproportionate risk of transmission in historically underserved communities, which could reinforce long-standing socioecological disparities in New Orleans and elsewhere.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]
KW - Abandonment
KW - Chagas disease
KW - Commensal pest
KW - Hurricane Katrina
KW - Mice
KW - Public health
KW - Rats
KW - Urban zoonosis
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85096153169&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13071-020-04446-y
DO - 10.1186/s13071-020-04446-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 33189151
AN - SCOPUS:85096153169
VL - 13
JO - Parasites and Vectors
JF - Parasites and Vectors
SN - 1756-3305
IS - 1
M1 - 577
ER -