Prevalence of antibody to Trypanosoma cruzi among blood donors in Los Angeles, California

Abstract

Transfusion-associated Chagas' disease is a serious public health problem in Central and South America. With the recent influx of immigrants from Chagas' disease-endemic areas, concern about the risk of disease from blood transfusion has increased in the United States. To assess the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in one area, 1024 consecutive blood donations from 988 voluntary blood donors at a medical center in Los Angeles County were screened serologically. The median age of donors screened was 32.5 years; 53.4 percent were male, and 38.4 percent were born in Chagas' disease-endemic countries. All donor sera were tested by complement fixation (CF) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) tests. A radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) was also done on all sera from CF- or IIF-reactive donors and an equal number of sera from nonreactive donors. A second serum specimen was obtained, and interviews were completed for 18 (67%) of 27 donors with an initial CF titer greater than or equal to 8 or an IIF titer greater than or equal to 64. The overall seroreactivity (by CF and IIF) was 1.1 percent (11/988). One donor (0.1%) had antibody specific to the 72- and 90-kDa antigens of T. cruzi on RIPA. Seven recipients of blood components from the seroreactive donors were located and were seronegative at 3 to 6 months. Seroreactive donors were 3.6 times more likely to have been born or to have resided in Mexico or Central America, 8.7 times more likely to have donated blood in the past, and 11.8 times more likely to have a history of malaria prophylaxis or treatment.

Epidemiology of Chagas disease in non endemic countries: the role of international migration

“…In Los Angeles, California, 1.1% of 988 donors were found to have positive serology for T. cruzi; 0.1% of the total were positive by two diagnostic techniques in 1987 (Kerndt et al 1991). A questionnaire to identify high-risk donors in California, found that 543 of 3492 donors (15.5%) came from areas endemic for T. cruzi in 1989-1990.…”

Progressive chronic Chagas heart disease ten years after treatment with anti-Trypanosoma cruzi nitroderivatives.

“…Immune responses for this patient would ensure diagnosis and preclude dissemination of infection by blood donation. 33,34 Furthermore, an effective chemotherapy for the infection is also highly desirable as it would help determine the role of the parasite in the pathogenesis of multiple pathological manifestations of Chagas disease. [35][36][37][38][39][40] The administration of nitroderivatives in this series of Chagas patients produced severe side effects, such as peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy, and seizures that precluded some patients taking the drug for 60 days.…”

Identification and synthesis of a major conserved antigenic epitope of Trypanosoma cruzi

“…30). It is also an increased concern that the blood supply in certain U.S. cities is contaminated with T. cruzi parasites (31,32). Considering these findings, the TcD peptide appears a promising candidate for application in the serodiagnosis of T. cruzi infection.…”