Usefulness of the polymerase chain reaction for monitoring cure of mice infected with different Trypanosoma cruzi clonal genotypes following treatment with benznidazole

• Published in: Experimental parasitology Vol. 120; no. 1; pp. 45 - 49
• Main Authors: Miyamoto, Claudia Tiemi, Gomes, Mônica Lúcia, Marangon, Aline Vansan, de Araújo, Silvana Marques, Bahia, Maria Terezinha, Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis, de Lana, Marta, de Ornelas Toledo, Max Jean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-09-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: ALTA; Animals; anti-live trypomastigote antibodies; benznidazole; Biological and medical sciences; Chagas disease; Chagas Disease - diagnosis; Chagas Disease - drug therapy; Chagas Disease - parasitology; Cloned stocks; Cure control; deoxyribonucleic acid; DIS; DNA; DNA, Protozoan - blood; ELISA; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; FBE; Female; fresh blood examination; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genotype; hemoculture; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Murine model; Nitroimidazoles - therapeutic use; PCR; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protozoa; Sensitivity and Specificity; treated and cured; treated dissociated; treated non-cured; Trypanocidal Agents - therapeutic use; Trypanosoma cruzi; Trypanosoma cruzi - classification; Trypanosoma cruzi - genetics; Trypanosoma cruzi - isolation & purification; ALTA; FBE; Chagas disease; Trypanosoma cruzi; TC; DIS; Cloned stocks; NC; DNA; Cure control; BZ; HC; PCR; ELISA; Murine model; Protozoal disease; Benznidazole; treated and cured; Blood; deoxyribonucleic acid; treated non-cured; Trypomastigote; Trypanosomiasis; Kinetoplastida; Protozoa; Antibody; Rodentia; Parasite; Genotype; Parasitosis; treated dissociated; fresh blood examination; hemoculture; Infection; Polymerase chain reaction; anti-live trypomastigote antibodies; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Models; ELISA assay; Stock
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2008.04.018

The capacity of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the DNA of Trypanosoma cruzi was evaluated in 90 blood samples from BALB/c mice infected with T. cruzi cloned stocks of genotypes 19 and 20 (T. cruzi I) and 39 and 32 (T. cruzi II), and treated with benznidazole. The results from the fresh blood examination, hemoculture, and ELISA allowed to group the treated animals into: cured (TC), dissociated (DIS) and non-cured (NC). The PCR detected T. cruzi DNA in 50.9%, 58.3% and 100.0% of the samples from TC, DIS and NC mice, respectively. These DNA possibly derives from live T. cruzi or from recently lysed parasites, suggests that these animals are in fact not cured. The difference between the PCR results and results obtained using other techniques was statistically significant and independent of the parasite genotype. The PCR described has therefore potential to be used in cure control of treated patients.