Table 2.
An overview of ecotopes, sylvatic vectors/hosts, geographical distributions and clinical associations of the major Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units.
| DTU | Ecological niche | Domestic vectors | Sylvatic vectors | Sylvatic hosts | Geographical distribution | Clinical forms of human Chagas disease | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TcI | Primary: lowland tropical arboreal Secondary: arid terrestrial |
Triatoma dimidiata (Central America), Rhodnius, Panstrongylus (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia) Triatoma (Peru, Bolivia) |
Primary: Rhodnius spp. Secondary: Triatoma, Panstrongylus |
Primary: Arboreal marsupials (Didelphis), primates, caviomorphs Secondary: Terrestrial rodents (Phyllotis ocilae, Akodon boliviensis) |
Primary: southern USA, Central and South America Secondary: central Brazil and eastern Andean foothills |
Cardiomyopathy Sporadic in Southern Cone |
[48–51,65,66,70,72–74,76,78,88,185,187,300,301] |
| TcII | Rare in sylvatic cycles |
Triatomainfestans Panstrongylus megistus |
– | Atlantic forest primates | Atlantic/central Brazil and Southern Cone | Cardiomyopathy GI megasyndromes Congenital infections |
[65,72,79–81,190,243,302], |
| TcIII | Terrestrial, fossorial, lowland, arid and tropical | – |
Panstrongylus geniculatus Panstrongylus lignarius Triatomarubrovaria |
Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Chaetophractus) marsupials (Didelphis, Monodelphis), rodents, carnivores | Northeastern Venezuela to Argentina | Rare in humans | [88–92,303] |
| TcIV | Arboreal with terrestrial transmission in North America | – | Rhodnius, Panstrongylus, Triatoma | Primates, D. novemcinctus, Nasua nasua, Procyon lotor | Southern USA and northern South America | Secondary agent in Venezuela Sporadic oral outbreaks in Brazilian Amazon |
[16,66,68,93,95–99] |
| TcV | Rare in sylvatic cycles Putative peridomestic transmission among dogs |
T. infestans | – | – | Principally Southern Cone, Gran Chaco Sporadic reports in Colombia and Ecuador |
Cardiomyopathy GI megasyndromes Congenital infections |
[73,82–84,87,135,168,200,304,305] |
| TcVI | Rare in sylvatic cycles Putative peridomestic transmission among dogs |
T. infestans | – | – | Principally Southern Cone, Gran Chaco Sporadic reports in Colombia and Ecuador |
Cardiomyopathy GI megasyndromes Congenital infections |
[82–84,87] |
| TcBat | Not described | – | – | Chiroptera spp. | Panama, central and south-east Brazil and Colombia | One isolated human infection | [32–34,101] |
DTU: Discrete typing unit; GI: Gastrointestinal.