Molecular diagnosis of cattle trypanosomes in Venezuela: evidences of Trypanosoma evansi and Trypanosoma vivax infections

In South America Trypanosoma evansi has been determined by molecular methods in cattle from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru, reason for which the presence of this parasite is not excluded in Venezuelan livestock. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform parasitological and molecular diagnosis of cattle trypanosomosis in small livestock units from two regions in this country. The parasitological diagnosis was carried out by MHCT and the molecular by PCR using genus-specific ITS1 primers that differentiate T. vivax and T. evansi infections. 47 cattle were evaluated in the “Laguneta de la Montaña” sector, Miranda State, where 3 animals were diagnosed as positive (6.4 %) by MHCT and 14 (30 %) by PCR as Trypanosoma spp., out of which 9 animals resulted positive for T. vivax, 3 for T. evansi and 2 with double infections. Whilst in the “San Casimiro” sector, State of Aragua, out of the 38 cattle evaluated 7 animals were diagnosed as positive (18.4 %) by MHCT and 19 (50 %) by PCR, determining only the presence of T. evansi in this locality. The molecular diagnosis by PCR using ITS1 primers allowed T. evansi detection in cattle field populations, which suggests the possible role of these animals as reservoirs in the epidemiology of the disease caused by T. evansi in Venezuela.