Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) Show Higher Trypanosoma Cruzi Detection Rates Than Virginia Opossums (Didelphis Virginiana) In South Carolina, Usa, David A. Bernasconi, Madison L. Miller, Jacob E. Hill, Pooja Gupta, Richard Chipman, Amy Gilbert, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., Guha Dharmarajan

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chagas disease, a significant public health concern in the Americas, is caused by a protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. The life cycle of T. cruzi involves kissing bugs (Triatoma spp.) functioning as vectors and mammalian species serving as hosts. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and opossums (Didelphis virginiana) have been identified as important reservoir species in the life cycle of T. cruzi, but prevalence in both species in the southeastern United States is currently understudied. We quantified T. cruzi prevalence in these two key reservoir species across our study area in South Carolina, USA, and …