@article{fdi:010092761,
  title = {{T}oxoplasma gondii and {T}rypanosoma lewisi {I}nfection in urban small mammals from {C}otonou, {B}enin, {W}ith special emphasis on coinfection patterns},
  author = {{E}tougb{\'e}tch{\'e}, {J}. {R}. and {H}ou{\'e}m{\'e}nou, {G}. and {M}issihoun, {A}. {A}. and {G}authier, {P}hilippe and {D}ossou, {H}. {J}. and {G}alal, {L}. and {D}alecky, {A}mbroise and {D}iagne, {C}. and {D}obigny, {G}authier and {M}ercier, {A}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A} growing number of studies has highlighted the importance of coinfections in eco-evolutionary processes underlying host-parasite interactions and the resulting epidemiology of zoonotic agents. {S}mall mammals, and particularly rodents, are known to be important reservoirs of many zoonotic pathogens, such as {T}oxoplasma gondii and {T}rypanosoma lewisi, that are responsible for toxoplasmosis and atypical trypanosomiasis in humans, respectively. {L}aboratory experiments on rodent models have shown that primary infection with {T}. lewisi increases the host sensitivity to other parasites, including {T}. gondii, following an alteration in the immune response. {H}owever, data on potential interactions between these parasites in wild small mammals remain scarce. {I}n this study, we determined the {T}. lewisi prevalence in 553 small mammals from four localities of {C}otonou city, {B}enin. {T}he results were then combined with {T}. gondii data previously collected for the same individuals in order to investigate the influence of {T}. lewisi on {T}. gondii infection, and vice versa, using co-occurrence tests and generalized linear mixed models ({GLMM}s). {D}espite quite high overall prevalence (32.5% and 15.2% for {T}. lewisi and {T}. gondii, respectively), we observed a clear and significant segregation between the two parasites. {T}his may be explained by (i) differences in the species-specific receptivity and/or sensitivity of small mammal host species to infection by these two parasites, with {R}attus rattus ({R}ra), {R}attus norvegicus ({R}no), and {M}astomys natalensis ({M}na) being the main hosts of {T}. lewisi, while {C}rocidura olivieri ({C}ro) and {M}us musculus domesticus ({M}us) were the main hosts for {T}. gondii; and/or (ii) a possibly high mortality in coinfected animals in the wild. {A}lthough dedicated experimental studies are required to confirm this pattern, as they stand, our data fail to support that in nature, the infection of small mammals by one of these two parasites favors widespread infection by the second one.},
  keywords = {health ecology ; multihost multiparasite communities ; small mammals ; {T}oxoplasma gondii ; {T}rypanosoma lewisi ; urban eco-epidemiology ; zoonotic infectious diseases ; {BENIN} ; {COTONOU}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{T}ransboundary and {E}merging {D}iseases},
  volume = {2025},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {9976509 [11 p.]},
  ISSN = {1865-1674},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.1155/tbed/9976509},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010092761},
}