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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz
ISSN: 1678-8060 EISSN: 1678-8060
Vol. 113, No. 1, 2018, pp. 1-6
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Bioline Code: oc18005
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 113, No. 1, 2018, pp. 1-6
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Can sexual transmission support the enzootic cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi ?
Rios, Adriano; Ribeiro, Marcelle; Sousa, Alessandro; Pimentel, Fernando; Hagström, Luciana; Andrade, Rafael; Alvez, Rozeneide M; Rosa, Ana de Cássia; Teixeira, Antônio RL; Nitz, Nadjar & Hecht, Mariana M
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trypanosoma cruzi circulates in sylvatic habitats, mainly through blood-feeding triatomines, although other routes
also contribute to its dispersion. Sexual transmission of T. cruzi is an understudied topic, especially among wild mammals. Because
of the difficulties inherent to field work, experimentally infected mice are frequently used to evaluate the transmission of T. cruzi.
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the sexual transmission of T. cruzi in acutely infected mice.
METHODS Male and female mice in the acute phase of Chagas disease were mated with naïve partners. Then, parasitological
tests, immunohistochemistry, serological assays, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to detect infection.
FINDINGS Parasitological analysis showed trypomastigotes in the blood of 20% of the naïve mice after mating with infected
partners. Serological assays detected anti-T. cruzi antibodies in all naïve females mated with infected males and in 60% of naïve
males mated with infected females. PCR showed T. cruzi nDNA bands for all naïve mice mated with infected partners. The
possibility of sexual transmission was also confirmed by visualisation of amastigotes in the testes.
MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that sexual transmission of T. cruzi is an ordinary event that may contribute to
maintenance of the parasite’s enzootic cycle.
Keywords
Trypanosoma cruzi - sexual transmission - enzootic cycle
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