Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons
Abstract Background Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, and T. rangeli are kinetoplastid parasites endemic to Latin America. Although closely related to T. cruzi and capable of infecting humans, T. rangeli is non-pathogenic. Both parasite species are transmitted by triatomine b...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Parasites & Vectors |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-020-04079-1 |
| _version_ | 1818369795844734976 |
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| author | Jalil Maiguashca Sánchez Salem Oduro Beffi Sueto Philipp Schwabl Mario J. Grijalva Martin S. Llewellyn Jaime A. Costales |
| author_facet | Jalil Maiguashca Sánchez Salem Oduro Beffi Sueto Philipp Schwabl Mario J. Grijalva Martin S. Llewellyn Jaime A. Costales |
| author_sort | Jalil Maiguashca Sánchez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, and T. rangeli are kinetoplastid parasites endemic to Latin America. Although closely related to T. cruzi and capable of infecting humans, T. rangeli is non-pathogenic. Both parasite species are transmitted by triatomine bugs, and the presence of T. rangeli constitutes a confounding factor in the study of Chagas disease prevalence and transmission dynamics. Trypanosoma cruzi possesses high molecular heterogeneity: seven discrete typing units (DTUs) are currently recognized. In Ecuador, T. cruzi TcI and T. rangeli KP1(-) predominate, while other genetic lineages are seldom reported. Methods Infection by T. cruzi and/or T. rangeli in different developmental stages of triatomine bugs from two communities of southern Ecuador was evaluated via polymerase chain reaction product size polymorphism of kinetoplast minicircle sequences and the non-transcribed spacer region of the mini-exon gene (n = 48). Forty-three mini-exon amplicons were also deep sequenced to analyze single-nucleotide polymorphisms within single and mixed infections. Mini-exon products from ten monoclonal reference strains were included as controls. Results Trypanosoma cruzi genetic richness and diversity was not significantly greater in adult vectors than in nymphal stages III and V. In contrast, instar V individuals showed significantly higher T. rangeli richness when compared with other developmental stages. Among infected triatomines, deep sequencing revealed one T. rangeli infection (3%), 8 T. cruzi infections (23.5%) and 25 T. cruzi + T. rangeli co-infections (73.5%), suggesting that T. rangeli prevalence has been largely underestimated in the region. Furthermore, deep sequencing detected TcIV sequences in nine samples; this DTU had not previously been reported in Loja Province. Conclusions Our data indicate that deep sequencing allows for better parasite identification/typing than amplicon size analysis alone for mixed infections containing both T. cruzi and T. rangeli, or when multiple T. cruzi DTUs are present. Additionally, our analysis showed extensive overlap among the parasite populations present in the two studied localities (c.28 km apart), suggesting active parasite dispersal over the study area. Our results highlight the value of amplicon sequencing methodologies to clarify the population dynamics of kinetoplastid parasites in endemic regions and inform control campaigns in southern Ecuador. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T23:29:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c79b3f688f7450baf390104e553ca9c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1756-3305 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T23:29:32Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-2c79b3f688f7450baf390104e553ca9c2022-12-21T23:27:27ZengBMCParasites & Vectors1756-33052020-05-0113111310.1186/s13071-020-04079-1Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene ampliconsJalil Maiguashca Sánchez0Salem Oduro Beffi Sueto1Philipp Schwabl2Mario J. Grijalva3Martin S. Llewellyn4Jaime A. Costales5Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del EcuadorInstitute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of GlasgowInstitute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of GlasgowCentro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del EcuadorInstitute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of GlasgowCentro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del EcuadorAbstract Background Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, and T. rangeli are kinetoplastid parasites endemic to Latin America. Although closely related to T. cruzi and capable of infecting humans, T. rangeli is non-pathogenic. Both parasite species are transmitted by triatomine bugs, and the presence of T. rangeli constitutes a confounding factor in the study of Chagas disease prevalence and transmission dynamics. Trypanosoma cruzi possesses high molecular heterogeneity: seven discrete typing units (DTUs) are currently recognized. In Ecuador, T. cruzi TcI and T. rangeli KP1(-) predominate, while other genetic lineages are seldom reported. Methods Infection by T. cruzi and/or T. rangeli in different developmental stages of triatomine bugs from two communities of southern Ecuador was evaluated via polymerase chain reaction product size polymorphism of kinetoplast minicircle sequences and the non-transcribed spacer region of the mini-exon gene (n = 48). Forty-three mini-exon amplicons were also deep sequenced to analyze single-nucleotide polymorphisms within single and mixed infections. Mini-exon products from ten monoclonal reference strains were included as controls. Results Trypanosoma cruzi genetic richness and diversity was not significantly greater in adult vectors than in nymphal stages III and V. In contrast, instar V individuals showed significantly higher T. rangeli richness when compared with other developmental stages. Among infected triatomines, deep sequencing revealed one T. rangeli infection (3%), 8 T. cruzi infections (23.5%) and 25 T. cruzi + T. rangeli co-infections (73.5%), suggesting that T. rangeli prevalence has been largely underestimated in the region. Furthermore, deep sequencing detected TcIV sequences in nine samples; this DTU had not previously been reported in Loja Province. Conclusions Our data indicate that deep sequencing allows for better parasite identification/typing than amplicon size analysis alone for mixed infections containing both T. cruzi and T. rangeli, or when multiple T. cruzi DTUs are present. Additionally, our analysis showed extensive overlap among the parasite populations present in the two studied localities (c.28 km apart), suggesting active parasite dispersal over the study area. Our results highlight the value of amplicon sequencing methodologies to clarify the population dynamics of kinetoplastid parasites in endemic regions and inform control campaigns in southern Ecuador.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-020-04079-1Chagas diseaseMini-exonTrypanosoma cruziTrypanosoma rangeli |
| spellingShingle | Jalil Maiguashca Sánchez Salem Oduro Beffi Sueto Philipp Schwabl Mario J. Grijalva Martin S. Llewellyn Jaime A. Costales Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons Parasites & Vectors Chagas disease Mini-exon Trypanosoma cruzi Trypanosoma rangeli |
| title | Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons |
| title_full | Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons |
| title_fullStr | Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons |
| title_short | Remarkable genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern Ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini-exon gene amplicons |
| title_sort | remarkable genetic diversity of trypanosoma cruzi and trypanosoma rangeli in two localities of southern ecuador identified via deep sequencing of mini exon gene amplicons |
| topic | Chagas disease Mini-exon Trypanosoma cruzi Trypanosoma rangeli |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13071-020-04079-1 |
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