Trypanosoma cruzi persistence at oral inflammatory foci in chronic chagasic patients

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe persistence of Trypanosoma cruzi in seropositive individuals, previously diagnosed as chronic chagasic patients (CCP), was detected for the first time in biopsies taken from gingival inflammatory foci processed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Seven out of 31 (22.5%) gum samples from selected unquestionably CCP showing different degrees of gingival inflammation revealed T. cruzi-DNA using 3 specific PCR assays. All the included CCP had been diagnosed in previous studies carried out over the last 19 years. Samples of inflamed gums were recently taken from the indicated patients at: an outpatient hospital cardiac unit; a village where Chagas disease is endemic; and a specialized diagnostic research center, showing molecular evidence of parasite persistence in 17.6%, 42.8% and 14.3% of them, respectively. The relatively frequent parasite persistence, demonstrated here in oral inflammatory processes of treated and/or untreated patients bearing long term T. cruzi-infection, suggests the establishment of secondary small foci for the maintenance of hidden or inapparent chagasic infection. The easy and low-risk, non-invasive method to get the sample may add the use of gingival biopsy as a potential alternative diagnostic tool to confirm T. cruzi-infection in CCP. The significance of T. cruzi persistence as a primary cause of chronic Chagas disease and the proposal of this mechanism to explain the pathogenesis in CCP are considered.

Unraveling Chagas disease transmission through the oral route: Gateways to Trypanosoma cruzi infection and target tissues

“…Interestingly, T . cruzi infection and gingival inflammatory foci has been shown at the oral cavity from a chronic Chagas disease patient [52]. These findings might be associated to our present data, which describe for the first time the nasomaxillary region as the main target tissue following oral T .…”

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi TcII and TcI in free-ranging population of lion tamarins (Leontopithecus spp): an 11-year follow-up

“…A very interesting aspect was the wave-like profiles of the infective competence of the T. cruzi -infected tamarin populations that cannot be explained be serial reinfection, as experimentally infected mammals do not again exhibit an increase in parasitaemia upon re-infection ( Machado et al 2001 , Andrade et al 2006 , Añez et al 2011 ). However, climatic or seasonal events may explain, at least partially, peaks in parasitaemia among vulnerable mammalian species.…”

Use of PCR assay to detect Leishmania-DNA in saliva from patients suffering American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

“…These findings suggest a biological characteristic of Leishmania-parasite to invade saliva, and other host's fluids and tissues, after spreading over from the primary lesion. This feature seems to suggest a parasite seeking shelter from the host response, enabling a long-lasting persistence, as demonstrated in other members of the family Trypanosomatidae (17).…”