Parasite persistence in treated chagasic patients revealed by xenodiagnosis and polymerase chain reaction
| Autor: | Constança Britto, Celeste Silveira, Maria Angelica Cardoso, Patricia Marques, Alejandro Luquetti, Vanize Macêdo, Octavio Fernandes |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2001 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Vol 96, Iss 6, Pp 823-826 (2001) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 0074-0276 1678-8060 |
| DOI: | 10.1590/S0074-02762001000600014 |
| Popis: | Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was compared with xenodiagnosis performed 20 years after trypanocidal chemotherapy to investigate parasite clearance. Eighty-five seropositive individuals for Chagas disease presenting a positive xenodiagnosis were treated with specific drugs; 37 in the acute phase and 48 in the chronic phase. Fifteen chronic assymptomatic patients received a placebo. Treatment in the acute phase led to PCR negative results in 73% of the cases, while xenodiagnosis was negative in 86%. In the chronic phase, PCR was negative in 65% of the patients and 83% led to xenodiagnosis negative results. Regarding the untreated group (placebo), 73% gave negative results by xenodiagnosis, of which 36% were positive by PCR. Individuals that were considered seronegative (n=10), presented unequivocally negative results in the PCR demonstrating the elimination of parasite DNA. Seventeen individuals had their antibodies titers decreased to such a level that the final results were considered as doubtful and 16 of them presented negative PCR. The molecular method represents a clear advantage over conventional techniques to demonstrate persistent infections in Chagas disease patients that underwent chemotherapy. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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