Kinetoplastid Species Maintained by a Small Mammal Community in the Pantanal Biome

Abstract

Kinetoplastids include species economically important in agriculture, livestock, and human health. We evaluated the richness of kinetoplastids that infect small mammals in patches of unflooded forests in the Pantanal biome, an area where we hypothesize that its diversity is higher than currently recognized. Hemocultures (HC) and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) targeting the 18S rDNA gene were employed for the detection of kinetoplastids. We grouped the positive samples into pools for each small mammal species (Monodelphis domestica, Thylamys macrurus, Oecomys mamorae, Thrichomys fosteri, Clyomys laticeps, and Holochilus chacarius). Eight parasite species were identified: Leishmania amazonensis, L. infantum; Trypanosoma cascavelli (HC + NGS), T. cruzi, T. lainsoni, T. rangeli (HC + NGS), Trypanosoma sp. DID, and Neobodo sp. The use of a tool as sensitive as NGS has increased our awareness of the diversity of kinetoplastids, as well as their host range, with emphasis on the species O. mamorae (seven kinetoplastid species, excepting T. cascavelli in a pool of nine individuals) and T. macrurus (four kinetoplastid species in a single individual). Furthermore, L. infantum and L. amazonensis infections were described in small mammals from this region for the first time. These findings make it mandatory to revisit the kinetoplastids/host associations proposed so far.