Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in Haiti
Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as the rat lungworm, causes Eosinophilic meningitis in humans. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence and distribution of this parasite in rats in Haiti. Rats were trapped at 8 sites, 7 in Artibonite (rural region) and one in an urban area of Port-a...
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EDP Sciences
2024-01-01
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| author | Fedna Jimmy Borne Romain Rieffel Dominique Bornette Gudrun Henrys Jean-Hugues Grenouillet Frédéric Raoul Francis |
| author_facet | Fedna Jimmy Borne Romain Rieffel Dominique Bornette Gudrun Henrys Jean-Hugues Grenouillet Frédéric Raoul Francis |
| author_sort | Fedna Jimmy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as the rat lungworm, causes Eosinophilic meningitis in humans. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence and distribution of this parasite in rats in Haiti. Rats were trapped at 8 sites, 7 in Artibonite (rural region) and one in an urban area of Port-au-Prince. After euthanasia, hearts and lungs were sampled and preserved in 70% ethanol. Subsequently, the organs were dissected to detect adult worms. Parasite DNA was amplified using PCR targeting either the nematode ITS2 gene for rodent lung tissue or cox1 for isolated worms. Subsequent sequencing allowed parasite identification. A total of 70 rats were captured, i.e. 23 Rattus norvegicus and 47 Rattus rattus. Adult nematodes morphologically compatible with A. cantonensis were isolated from 5/70 rats (7%) and identification was confirmed by sequencing. Molecular analysis of lung tissue revealed a parasite prevalence of 31.4% (22/70), and its presence at 4 of the 8 sites investigated, including Port-au-Prince. The molecular approach on lung tissue targeting the ITS2 gene enabled us to detect a prevalence 4 times higher than the visual search for adult worms alone. Only one COX1 haplotype was identified, belonging to genotype II-G, widely distributed in Brazil, the French Antilles (Guadeloupe), French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Japan. These results confirm that A. cantonensis is an endemic parasite in Haiti not only in the capital Port-au-Prince, but also in several rural areas. Direct molecular screening for Angiostrongylus DNA in rat lung tissue showed higher sensitivity than visual detection of worms during dissection and could be useful for further prevalence studies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0499bb8973614890856c43f2795e20e2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1776-1042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | EDP Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Parasite |
| spelling | doaj-art-0499bb8973614890856c43f2795e20e22025-02-07T08:26:28ZengEDP SciencesParasite1776-10422024-01-01316410.1051/parasite/2024063parasite240038Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in HaitiFedna Jimmy0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9883-9629Borne Romain1Rieffel Dominique2Bornette Gudrun3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2242-0060Henrys Jean-Hugues4Grenouillet Frédéric5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6001-3135Raoul Francis6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9566-9599Université de Franche-Comté, CNRS, Chrono-environnementUniversité de Franche-Comté, CNRS, Chrono-environnementUniversité de Franche-Comté, CNRS, Chrono-environnementUniversité de Franche-Comté, CNRS, Chrono-environnementÉquipe de Recherche sur l’Écologie des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales (EREMIT)Université de Franche-Comté, CHU Besançon, CNRS, Chrono-environnementUniversité de Franche-Comté, CNRS, Chrono-environnementAngiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as the rat lungworm, causes Eosinophilic meningitis in humans. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence and distribution of this parasite in rats in Haiti. Rats were trapped at 8 sites, 7 in Artibonite (rural region) and one in an urban area of Port-au-Prince. After euthanasia, hearts and lungs were sampled and preserved in 70% ethanol. Subsequently, the organs were dissected to detect adult worms. Parasite DNA was amplified using PCR targeting either the nematode ITS2 gene for rodent lung tissue or cox1 for isolated worms. Subsequent sequencing allowed parasite identification. A total of 70 rats were captured, i.e. 23 Rattus norvegicus and 47 Rattus rattus. Adult nematodes morphologically compatible with A. cantonensis were isolated from 5/70 rats (7%) and identification was confirmed by sequencing. Molecular analysis of lung tissue revealed a parasite prevalence of 31.4% (22/70), and its presence at 4 of the 8 sites investigated, including Port-au-Prince. The molecular approach on lung tissue targeting the ITS2 gene enabled us to detect a prevalence 4 times higher than the visual search for adult worms alone. Only one COX1 haplotype was identified, belonging to genotype II-G, widely distributed in Brazil, the French Antilles (Guadeloupe), French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Japan. These results confirm that A. cantonensis is an endemic parasite in Haiti not only in the capital Port-au-Prince, but also in several rural areas. Direct molecular screening for Angiostrongylus DNA in rat lung tissue showed higher sensitivity than visual detection of worms during dissection and could be useful for further prevalence studies.https://www.parasite-journal.org/articles/parasite/full_html/2024/01/parasite240038/parasite240038.htmlangiostrongylus cantonensiseosinophilic meningitisratsone healthhaiti |
| spellingShingle | Fedna Jimmy Borne Romain Rieffel Dominique Bornette Gudrun Henrys Jean-Hugues Grenouillet Frédéric Raoul Francis Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in Haiti Parasite angiostrongylus cantonensis eosinophilic meningitis rats one health haiti |
| title | Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in Haiti |
| title_full | Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in Haiti |
| title_fullStr | Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in Haiti |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in Haiti |
| title_short | Molecular study of the status of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in Haiti |
| title_sort | molecular study of the status of angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats in haiti |
| topic | angiostrongylus cantonensis eosinophilic meningitis rats one health haiti |
| url | https://www.parasite-journal.org/articles/parasite/full_html/2024/01/parasite240038/parasite240038.html |
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