Zoonotic trypanosomatids in small mammals at a wildlife-urban interface in southeastern Brazil: Implications for transmission risk

This study investigated the diversity of trypanosomatids infecting small mammals in a fragmented forest landscape in southeastern Brazil, to gain insight into their role in transmission cycles and to assess potential public health risks. Eighteen small mammals were captured; seventeen were included in laboratory analyses: Didelphis albiventris (n = 4), Marmosops incanus (n = 4), and Nectomys squamipes (n = 9) were captured in the Mata da Tapera Municipal Natural Park, Minas Gerais State. To detect infection and assess host infectiousness, we used xenodiagnoses (Rhodnius neglectus and Lutzomyia longipalpis), 18S rRNA nested PCR, molecular typing, and parasitological culture. Leishmania infantum was identified in three individuals (two N. squamipes and one D. albiventris), L. braziliensis in one M. incanus, Trypanosoma cruzi DTU TcI in two D. albiventris, and T. lainsoni was detected in one D. albiventris and one N. squamipes. This integrated diagnostic strategy illustrates the value of combining parasitological, molecular, and experimental approaches for zoonotic surveillance at the wildlife-urban interface. Our findings document the occurrence of zoonotic trypanosomatids in a human-modified landscape and highlight potential transmission risks to humans and domestic animals, particularly in an area with active ecotourism, emphasizing the need for targeted surveillance within a One Health framework.