Trypanosomatid species in Didelphis albiventris from urban forest fragments.

Urbanization results in loss of natural habitats and, consequently, reduction of richness and abundance of specialist to the detriment of generalist species. We hypothesized that a greater richness of trypanosomatid in Didelphis albiventris would be found in fragments of urban forests in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, that presented a larger richness of small mammals. We used parasitological, molecular, and serological methods to detect Trypanosoma spp. infection in D. albiventris (n = 43) from forest fragments. PCR was performed with primers specific for 18S rDNA, 24Sα rDNA, mini-chromosome satellites, and mini-exon genes. IFAT was used to detect anti-Trypanosoma cruzi IgG. All hemoculture was negative. We detected trypanosomatid DNA in blood of 35% of opossum. Two opossums were seropositive for T. cruzi. The trypanosomatid species number infecting D. albiventris was higher in the areas with greater abundance, rather than richness of small mammals. We found D. albiventris parasitized by T. cruzi in single and co-infections with Leishmania spp., recently described molecular operational taxonomic unit (MOTU) named DID, and Trypanosoma lainsoni. We concluded that (i) trypanosome richness may be determined by small mammal abundance, (ii) D. albiventris confirmed to be bio-accumulators of trypanosomatids, and (iii) T. lainsoni demonstrated a higher host range than described up to the present.