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Natural Infection of Rattus Rattus by Trypanosoma Cruzi in Panamá^*

In order to define better the animal reservoir of Trypanosoma cruzi in some Panamanian communities where Chagas’ disease is endemic, we carried out an investigation of the presence of T. cruzi in Rattus rattus. T. cruzi was demonstrated in 57 of 100 wild R. rattus trapped in communities of Panamá province, Republic of Panamá. Trypanosomes were seen in thick smears of the peripheral blood of 43 rats, and leishmanial (tissue) forms were found at necropsy in 55 rats. Complement-fixing (CF) antibodies were demonstrated in significant titers in 59 rats, but the results of CF tests did not correlate well with the presence of T. cruzi in thick smears and histopathological sections. R. rattus appears to be an important reservoir of T. cruzi in the province of Panamá, R. P.

Accepted for publication May 22, 1970.

^* This work was supported by Grant No. HE 10689 from the National Heart Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.