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Thompson JM, Habrun CA, Scully CM, Sasaki E, Bauer RW, Jania R, Baker RE, Chapman AM, Majeau A, Pronovost H, Dumonteil E, Herrera CP. Locally Transmitted Trypanosoma cruzi in a Domestic Llama ( Lama glama) in a Rural Area of Greater New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:762-768. [PMID: 34342513 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2021.0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi-associated megaesophagus was diagnosed in a domestic Louisiana-born llama with no significant travel history. The llama resided in the same rural area of greater New Orleans, Louisiana, where the first human autochthonous case of Chagas disease was identified in the state. Venous blood from the llama tested positive for T. cruzi kinetoplastid DNA by conventional PCR. The cardiac evaluation was unremarkable, while thoracic radiographs revealed generalized megaesophagus. The llama received supportive care, but was ultimately humanely euthanized. The esophagus was severely distended throughout its length on necropsy, and histologic evaluation showed no microscopic changes in esophageal tissue and minimal to mild lymphoplasmacytic inflammation in cardiac tissue. T. cruzi DNA was detected by conventional PCR in the esophagus, small intestine, and blood despite no protozoan organisms being observed in multiple tissue sections examined. This report contributes to the growing body of evidence of local transmission of T. cruzi in the southern United States, and Chagas disease should be considered a differential diagnosis when evaluating llamas and other large animal species for esophageal dysfunction. There is little research describing megaesophagus or Chagas disease in llamas, and this report aims to increase awareness about this zoonotic disease that is becoming more frequently reported in the southern United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Thompson
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Caroline A Habrun
- New Mexico Emerging Infections Program, University of New Mexico, SE Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Clare M Scully
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Services, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Emi Sasaki
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Rudy W Bauer
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Rachel Jania
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Services, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Rose E Baker
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Services, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Anna M Chapman
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Services, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Alicia Majeau
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Henry Pronovost
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Eric Dumonteil
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Claudia P Herrera
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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Pronovost H, Peterson AC, Chavez BG, Blum MJ, Dumonteil E, Herrera CP. Deep sequencing reveals multiclonality and new discrete typing units of Trypanosoma cruzi in rodents from the southern United States. J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2018; 53:622-633. [PMID: 30709717 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi, is widely distributed throughout the Americas. We explored the nature of T. cruzi infection in small rodents from New Orleans (LA, USA), an enzootic region of the parasite in North America. METHODS We characterized the full complement of discrete typing units (DTUs) in rodent hosts through next-generation metabarcoding, as conventional PCR and Sanger sequencing approaches only detect the dominant genotype in biological samples. We assayed DTU diversity in tissue samples from 6 T. cruzi PCR positive rodents. The intergenic region of the mini-exon gene was amplified and sequenced on a MiSeq platform. A total of 141 sequences were aligned using Muscle, and TCS networks were constructed to identify DTUs in the samples. RESULTS We detected distinct and varying assemblages of DTUs in the rodent hosts. Highly diverse DTU assemblages were detected, with 6-32 haplotypes recovered per individual, spanning multiple DTUs (TcI,TcII, TcIV, TcV and TcVI). Haplotypes varied in frequencies from 82% to less than 0.1%. DTU composition varied according to the tissue analyzed. Rural and urban rodents carried similarly diverse DTU assemblages, though urban rodent species tended to harbor more haplotypes than their sylvatic counterparts. CONCLUSION Our results affirm that mammalian hosts can concurrently harbor a diverse complement of parasites, and indicate that there is greater diversity of T. cruzi DTUs present in North America than previously thought. Further investigation is warranted to understand the role of commensal rodents as a reservoir for T. cruzi in sylvatic and peridomestic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Pronovost
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Anna C Peterson
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
| | - Bruno Ghersi Chavez
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
| | - Michael J Blum
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
| | - Eric Dumonteil
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Claudia P Herrera
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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Garcia MN, Burroughs H, Gorchakov R, Gunter SM, Dumonteil E, Murray KO, Herrera CP. Molecular identification and genotyping of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in autochthonous Chagas disease patients from Texas, USA. Infect Genet Evol 2017; 49:151-156. [PMID: 28095298 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, is widely distributed throughout the Americas, from the southern United States (US) to northern Argentina, and infects at least 6 million people in endemic areas. Much remains unknown about the dynamics of T. cruzi transmission among mammals and triatomine vectors in sylvatic and peridomestic eco-epidemiological cycles, as well as of the risk of transmission to humans in the US. Identification of T. cruzi DTUs among locally-acquired cases is necessary for enhancing our diagnostic and clinical prognostic capacities, as well as to understand parasite transmission cycles. Blood samples from a cohort of 15 confirmed locally-acquired Chagas disease patients from Texas were used for genotyping T. cruzi. Conventional PCR using primers specific for the minicircle variable region of the kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA) and the highly repetitive genomic satellite DNA (satDNA) confirmed the presence of T. cruzi in 12/15 patients. Genotyping was based on the amplification of the intergenic region of the miniexon gene of T. cruzi and sequencing. Sequences were analyzed by BLAST and phylogenetic analysis by Maximum Likelihood method allowed the identification of non-TcI DTUs infection in six patients, which corresponded to DTUs TcII, TcV or TcVI, but not to TcIII or TcIV. Two of these six patients were also infected with a TcI DTU, indicating mixed infections in those individuals. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were seen among patients with single non-TcI and mixed infections of non-TcI and TcI DTUs. Our results indicate a greater diversity of T. cruzi DTUs circulating among autochthonous human Chagas disease cases in the southern US, including for the first time DTUs from the TcII-TcV-TcVI group. Furthermore, the DTUs infecting human patients in the US are capable of causing Chagasic cardiac disease, highlighting the importance of parasite detection in the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa N Garcia
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hadley Burroughs
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Rodion Gorchakov
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sarah M Gunter
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Eric Dumonteil
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA; Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY), Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
| | - Kristy O Murray
- Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Claudia P Herrera
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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Bernal LV, Marin H, Herrera CP, Montoya C, Herrera YU. Craniocervical Posture in Children with Class I, II and III Skeletal Relationships. Pesqui bras odontopediatria clín integr 2017. [DOI: 10.4034/pboci.2017.171.07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Chamari K, Briki W, Farooq A, Patrick T, Belfekih T, Herrera CP. Impact of Ramadan intermittent fasting on cognitive function in trained cyclists: a pilot study. Biol Sport 2015; 33:49-56. [PMID: 26985134 PMCID: PMC4786586 DOI: 10.5604/20831862.1185888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This study assessed selected measures of cognitive function in trained cyclists who observed daylight fasting during Ramadan. Eleven cyclists volunteered to participate (age: 21.6±4.8 years, VO2max: 57.7±5.6 ml kg(-1)·min(-1)) and were followed for 2 months. Cognitive function (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), Reaction Time index (RTI) and Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) tests) and sleep architecture (ambulatory EEG) were assessed: before Ramadan (BR), in the 1st week (RA1) and 4th week of Ramadan (RA4), and 2 weeks post-Ramadan (PR). Both cognitive tests were performed twice per day: before and after Ramadan at 8-10 a.m. and 4-6 p.m., and during Ramadan at 4-6 p.m. and 0-2 a.m., respectively. Training load (TL) by the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method and wellness (Hooper index) were measured daily. If the TL increased over the study period, this variable was stable during Ramadan. The perceived fatigue and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) increased at RA4. Sleep patterns and architecture showed clear disturbances, with significant increases in the number of awakenings and light sleep durations during Ramadan (RA1 and RA4), together with decreased durations of deep and REM sleep stages at PR. RTI (simple and multiple reaction index) reaction and movement times did not vary over the study period. The RVP test showed reduced false alarms during Ramadan, suggesting reduced impulsivity. Overall accuracy significantly increased at RA1, RA4 and PR compared to baseline. At RA4, the accuracy was higher at 0-2 a.m. compared to 4-6 p.m. Despite the observed disturbances in sleep architecture, Ramadan fasting did not negatively impact the cognitive performance of trained cyclists from the Middle East.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Chamari
- Athletes Health and Performance Research Center (AHP), Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar
| | - W Briki
- University of French West Indies and Guyana, Department of Sport Sciences, (ACTES) Laboratory, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
| | - A Farooq
- Athletes Health and Performance Research Center (AHP), Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar
| | - T Patrick
- National Sports Medicine Program (NSMP), Aspetar, Doha, Qatar; Sport Performance Research Institute of New Zealand (SPRINZ)
| | - T Belfekih
- National Sports Medicine Program (NSMP), Aspetar, Doha, Qatar
| | - C P Herrera
- Athletes Health and Performance Research Center (AHP), Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar
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Herrera CP, Licon MH, Nation CS, Jameson SB, Wesson DM. Genotype diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi in small rodents and Triatoma sanguisuga from a rural area in New Orleans, Louisiana. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:123. [PMID: 25890064 PMCID: PMC4344744 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0730-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chagas disease is an anthropozoonosis caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that represents a major public health problem in Latin America. Although the United States is defined as non-endemic for Chagas disease due to the rarity of human cases, the presence of T. cruzi has now been amply demonstrated as enzootic in different regions of the south of the country from Georgia to California. In southeastern Louisiana, a high T. cruzi infection rate has been demonstrated in Triatoma sanguisuga, the local vector in this area. However, little is known about the role of small mammals in the wild and peridomestic transmission cycles. Methods This study focused on the molecular identification and genotyping of T. cruzi in both small rodents and T. sanguisuga from a rural area of New Orleans, Louisiana. DNA extractions were prepared from rodent heart, liver, spleen and skeletal muscle tissues and from cultures established from vector feces. T. cruzi infection was determined by standard PCR using primers specific for the minicircle variable region of the kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA) and the highly repetitive genomic satellite DNA (satDNA). Genotyping of discrete typing units (DTUs) was performed by amplification of mini-exon and 18S and 24Sα rRNA genes and subsequent sequence analysis. Results The DTUs TcI, TcIV and, for the first time, TcII, were identified in tissues of mice and rats naturally infected with T. cruzi captured in an area of New Orleans, close to the house where the first human case of Chagas disease was reported in Louisiana. The T. cruzi infection rate in 59 captured rodents was 76%. The frequencies of the detected DTUs in such mammals were TcI 82%, TcII 22% and TcIV 9%; 13% of all infections contained more than one DTU. Conclusions Our results indicate a probable presence of a considerably greater diversity in T. cruzi DTUs circulating in the southeastern United States than previously reported. Understanding T. cruzi transmission dynamics in sylvatic and peridomestic cycles in mammals and insect vectors will be crucial to estimating the risk of local, vector-borne transmission of T. cruzi to humans in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia P Herrera
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Rm. 1824, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
| | - Meredith H Licon
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Rm. 1824, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
| | - Catherine S Nation
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Rm. 1824, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
| | - Samuel B Jameson
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Rm. 1824, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
| | - Dawn M Wesson
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Research Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Rm. 1824, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
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Escobar R, Rios A, Montoya ID, Lopera F, Ramos D, Carvajal C, Constain G, Gutierrez JE, Vargas S, Herrera CP. Clinical and cerebral blood flow changes in catatonic patients treated with ECT. J Psychosom Res 2000; 49:423-9. [PMID: 11182435 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(00)00190-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine changes in clinical manifestations and cerebral blood flow (CBF) before and after administration of ECT to patients with catatonia due to schizophrenia or mood disorders. METHODS A sample of nine patients who met DSM-IV criteria for catatonia was studied. Patients received between 5 and 15 sessions (thrice per week) of ECT. Severity of catatonia was measured with the Modified Rogers Scale (MRS). Changes in CBF were measured with a brain single positron emission computer tomography (SPECT) that was performed 1 week before the first ECT and 1 week after the last ECT. RESULTS Catatonia was due to schizophrenia in five patients and mood disorders in four patients. There were no significant clinical and brain SPECT differences between these two groups before treatment. Pre- vs. post-ECT comparisons showed significant reduction of catatonic symptoms in both groups. However, patients with mood disorders needed less ECT sessions and showed greater clinical improvement. Brain SPECT showed significant increase in CBF in parietal, temporal, and occipital regions in patients with mood disorder and no significant changes in patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS These results support the efficacy of ECT for treatment of catatonic patients, especially secondary to mood disorders, which seem to be correlated with improvements in CBF.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Escobar
- Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital San Vicente de Paul, University of Antioquia, Calle 64 #51 d, Medellin, Colombia.
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