[Study of Trypanosoma cruzi in wild reservoirs in the ecological reserve of El Zapotal, Chiapas, Mexico].

: Reservoirs of T. cruzi were studied in the ecological reserve "El Zapotal", in the Tuxtla Gutierrez municipality located in the state of Chiapas. The parasite transmission cycle exists in that area. A total of 73 specimens of 8 different mammal species were trapped alive. Xenodiagnosis tests showed that 11% of them were positive for T. cruzi. Blood concentration exam, blood culture, serology (CIEP) and histological exam were carried out in 65 specimens from the total captured. T. cruzi positive results in these tests were 1.5, 3.6, and 6.2% respectively. None of the 73 specimens were positive in the histological exams. Amastigote nests were found in cardiac tissue of mice, which were inoculated with triatomine bugs dejections collected from those specimens used from xenodiagnosis testing or by the inoculation of parasites grown in axenic blood cultures. These results indicated that there is a sylvan cycle which is maintained by mammal species, which are plundering this geographic area.