ORIGINAL ARTICLE Epidemiological Survey of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Domestic Owned Cats from the Tropical Southeast of Mexico M. Jime ´ nez-Coello 1 , K.Y. Acosta-Viana 1 , E. Guzman-Marin 1 , A. Gomez-Rios 1,2 and A. Ortega-Pacheco 2 1 Laboratorio de Biologia Celular, CA Biomedicina de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias. C.I.R. ‘Dr. Hideyo Noguchi’, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico 2 Departamento de Salud Animal y Medicina Preventiva, CA Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico Impacts • Cats are important reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi in endemic regions and may play an important role in the peridomestic cycle of the disease. • Regular–bad body condition score in cats is a risk factor associated with PCR-positive cases. • Vector control should be implemented in peridomestic households to prevent infection of cats Introduction American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease is an infec- tious disease considered an important public health prob- lem in Latin American countries where the disease is endemic. The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the aetiological agent transmitted to humans and other animals by triatomine bugs (bloodsucking bugs) (Salazar-Schettino et al., 2005) where a large number of reservoirs are involved. The seroprevalence in humans, other reservoir Keywords: Trypanosoma cruzi; cat; PCR; serology Correspondence: A. Ortega-Pacheco. Departamento de Salud Animal y Medicina Preventiva, CA Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Km. 15.5 Carr. Merida-Xmatkuil AP. 4-116 Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Tel.: +52 999 942 32 00; Fax: +52 999 942 32 05; E-mail: opacheco@uady.mx Received for publication August 2, 2011 doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01463.x Summary American trypanosomiasis is an infectious disease of importance for public health and caused by the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi mainly transmitted by triatomine bugs. The precise role of cats in the peridomestic transmission of T. cruzi and the mechanism by which cats become infected remain uncertain. The objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of T. cruzi infection in domestic cats from an urban area of tropical Mexico by serological and molecular methods and evaluate associated risk factors. A total of 220 domestic cats from Merida Yucatan, Mexico, were studied. Animals older than 3 months were blood sampled. Serum and DNA were obtained. Specific T. cruzi IgG anti- bodies were detected using a commercial indirect ELISA with an anti-cat anti- body HRP labelled. Positive cases were confirmed by Western blot (WB). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also performed using the primers TC1 and TC2. From the 220 cats, 8.6% had antibodies against T. cruzi using ELISA test and later confirmed by WB. In 75 cats (34%), the sequence of ADNk of T. cruzi was amplified. The bad–regular body condition was the only risk factor associated with PCR positive to T.cruzi (P < 0.001). In Mexico, there are no previous epidemiological reports that demonstrate the importance of the cat as a reservoir of T. cruzi. Few individuals were identified with a serological response because they were probably at an early stage of infection or antibodies were not detected because they could be immunocompromised (FIV, FeLV or others). It is necessary to monitor PCR-positive patients and conduct further studies for better understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of Cha- gas disease in domestic cats. Zoonoses and Public Health 102 ª 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH • Zoonoses Public Health 59 (Suppl. 2) (2012) 102–109