Pre-Columbian Chagas disease in Brazil: Trypanosoma cruzi I in the archaeological remains of a human in Peruaçu Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
;
103(5): 514-516, Aug. 2008. ilus
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-491973
ABSTRACT
We evaluated the presence and distribution of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in a mummy presenting with megacolon that was dated as approximately 560 ± 40 years old. The mummy was from the Peruaçu Valley in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. All samples were positive for T. cruzi minicircle DNA, demonstrating the presence and broad dissemination of the parasite in this body. From one sample, a mini-exon gene fragment was recovered and characterized by sequencing and was found to belong to the T. cruzi I genotype. This finding suggests that T. cruzi I infected humans during the pre-Columbian times and that, in addition to T. cruzi infection, Chagas disease in Brazil most likely preceded European colonization.
Full text:
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Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Paleopathology
/
Trypanosoma cruzi
/
Mummies
/
Chagas Disease
/
Megacolon
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
Journal subject:
Tropical Medicine
/
Parasitology
Year:
2008
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
Institution/Affiliation country:
Fiocruz/BR
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