Serological profiles and evaluation of parasitemia by PCR and blood culture in individuals chronically infected by Trypanosoma cruzi treated with benzonidazole; Profils sérologiques et évaluation de la parasitémie par la PCR et la culture du sang des individus chroniquement infectés par Trypanosoma cruzi et traités avec du benzonidazole; Perfiles serológicos y evaluación de parasitemias por PCR y cultivo sanguíneo en individuos con infección crónica por Trypanosoma cruzi tratados con benzonidazo

• Published in: Tropical medicine & international health Vol. 17; no. 3; p. 368
• Main Authors: Aguiar, Camila, Batista, Angelica M, Pavan, Tycha B. S, Almeida, Eros A, Guariento, Maria E, Wanderley, Jamiro S, Costa, Sandra C. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2012
• Subjects: Diagnostic tests; Drug therapy; Parasites; Parasitic diseases
• ISSN: 1360-2276; 1365-3156
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2011.02936.x

Objective: To evaluate the serological and parasitological status of patients with chronic Chagas disease (CD) after chemotherapy with benzonidazole. Methods: Retrospective study of patients treated with benzonidazole (5mg/kg/day for 60days) between 1980 and 2010. Twenty-nine patients who had CD confirmed by two reagent immunological tests and/or one positive xenodiagnosis before treatment were included. Conventional serology (ELISA and IIF) and parasitological tests (hemoculture and N-PCR) were performed. Results: At the time of treatment, the mean age of patients was 36±7.24years (20-39years) and the time post-treatment varied from 1 to 29years. After chemotherapy, all individuals had reagent ELISA and 93.1% had positive results for the IIF test. T. cruzi DNA was detected by N-PCR in 48.3%. Negative results were observed in 41.4% and inconclusive ones in 10.3%. hemoculture was negative for all individuals. Conclusions: Our results suggest that N-PCR may be useful in the early identification of therapeutic failure of CD. Although it is difficult to determine parasitological cure in negative N-PCR cases, we can infer that this condition represents a declination of parasitemia as a favorable consequence of etiological treatment.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]