Possible oral transmission of acute Chagas'disease in Brazil

Em outubro de 1986, 7 a 22 dias apos uma reuniao em uma fazenda no estado da Paraiba, 26 pessoas apresentaram doenca febril, associada a edema bipalpebral bilateral, e de membros inferiores, hepatoesplenomegalia leve, linfadenopatia e, mais raramente, a um exantema. Um menino de 11 anos apresentou arritmia atrial ao eletrocardiograma e um paciente de 74 anos desenvolveu insuficiencia cardiaca aguda. Em 2 pacientes hospitalizados em Sao Paulo, foi estabelecido o diagnostico de Doenca de Chagas aguda por observacao de T. cruzi em creme leucocitario. Em autopsia de um caso fatal foi demonstrada cradiomiopatia chagasica aguda. O xenodiagnostico foi positivo em 9 de 14 pacientes testados. Anticorpos especificos de classe IgG foram encontrados em todos os pacientes e da classe IgM em 20 de 22 doentes examinados. Estudo epidemiologico revelou Triatoma brasiliensis nas vizinhacas desta fazenda, porem tal vetor nao foi encontrado na casa onde a maioria dos hospedes pernoitou. Observou-se alta taxa de gambas infectados por Trypanosoma cruzi. Essas observacoes, associadas as informacoes relativas aos alimentos consumidos, sugerem que a contaminacao de alimentos tenha se originado de secrecoes de marsupiais naturalmente infectados ou de triatomineos infectados que poderiam ter sido esmagados durante o preparo do caldo de cana.

Possible oral transmission of acute Chagas' disease in Brazil.

In October 1986, 7 to 22 days after a meeting at a farm in Paraíba state, 26 individuals presented with a febrile illness associated with bilateral eyelid and lower limb edema, mild hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and, occasionally a skin rash. A 11-year-old boy exhibited atrial premature complexes and a 74-year-old patient developed acute heart failure. In two patients hospitalized in São Paulo city, acute Chagas' disease was diagnosed by the demonstration of circulating Trypanosoma cruzi. At autopsy in a fatal case, acute Chagas' cardiomyopathy was demonstrated. Xenodiagnosis were positive in 9 out of 14 tested patients. A specific IgG immune response was found in all patients and specific IgM antibodies were identified in 20 out of 22 tested patients. A epidemiological survey showed the existence of Triatoma brasiliensis in the outbuildings of this farm, but none in the house where most of the guests stayed. A high rate of infection with Trypanosoma cruzi was found in opossums. These observations together with those related to the food consumed by the patients, lead the authors to suggest that the human infections resulted from oral contamination probably originating from naturally infected marsupials in the area or crushed infected bugs.

[Epidemiologic study of the sources of blood feeding of the triatominae of the Aroeira farm (Catolé do Rocha, Paraìba) and neighboring localities]. / Estudo epidemiológico de fontes de alimentação sangüínea dos triatomíneos da Fazenda Aroeira (Catolé do Rocha, Paraíba) e circunvizinhanças.

We have analysed the blood feeding sources of 94 triatomine bugs (51 T. brasiliensis, 42 T. pseudomaculata and one R. neglectus) from Fazenda Aroeira, in Catolé do Rocha Municipality, Paraíba State, and four neighbouring localities. The positivity for marsupial, man and bird blood were, respectively, 39.7, 6.2 and 23.0%. Three insects from Fazenda Aroeira were positive both for T. cruzi and marsupial blood while only one of the three was positive for another mammal. Marsupials are the most important source of T. cruzi for the insects of the area, which have little contact with man.