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Trypanosoma cruzi infection: do distinct populations cause intestinal motility alteration?

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Abstract

Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important public health problem in Latin America. Disturbances in gastrointestinal motility are observed in 15–20% of patients at the chronic phase. We previously observed a decrease in intestinal motility in mice infected with Y strain from T. cruzi. Thus, we decided to test if infection with other T. cruzi strains also caused the intestinal disturbance. Male adult Swiss mice were infected intraperitoneally with CL–Brener clone (CL-B), Brazil strain (Br), or Dm28 clone (Dm) of T. cruzi. All infected mice presented a low cumulative mortality (CL-B, 17%; Br, 8%; Dm, 25%) at 35 days post infection (dpi) and their typical parasitemia curves. Br and Dm groups exhibited a maximal reduction of intestinal motility at 35 dpi (176.8 ± 51.3 and 198.3 ± 52.6 min, respectively), when compared with non-infected mice (90.2 ± 19.5 min). However, CL mice presented the peak of delayed intestinal transit at 12 dpi (191.0 ± 33.3 min), when compared with non-infected mice (105.6 ± 26.4 min), very close to the 15 dpi for the intense alteration (310.2 ± 67.4 min) observed with the Y strain. We clearly demonstrate a reduction in intestinal motility in mice infected with different groups of T. cruzi during the acute phase of the infection. Since Br, Dm, and CL strains presented low mortality rates in adult Swiss mice, a prospective study concerning the chronic intestinal alteration is encouraged, particularly for studies of alternative therapies.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Marcos and Marcelo Meuser for their excellent technical assistance. We are also grateful to Dr Linda A. Jelicks for reviewing this manuscript. This work was supported by CNPq (Comissão Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico)/Decit and Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz. This study was performed in accordance with the guidelines established by the FIOCRUZ Committee of Ethics in Animal Use, license number (0099/01) for the research, resolution 6.899/09.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Inovações em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos (LITEB), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Pavilhão Cardoso Fontes, sala 52, Av. Brasil, 4365 Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21045-360, Brazil

    Monica de Melo Medeiros, Tania C. Araújo-Jorge, Wanderson S. Batista & Andréa Pereira de Souza

  2. Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Tshaca Mahatma Oara Alves da Silva

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  1. Monica de Melo Medeiros
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  2. Tania C. Araújo-Jorge
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  3. Wanderson S. Batista
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  4. Tshaca Mahatma Oara Alves da Silva
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  5. Andréa Pereira de Souza
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Correspondence to Andréa Pereira de Souza.

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de Melo Medeiros, M., Araújo-Jorge, T.C., Batista, W.S. et al. Trypanosoma cruzi infection: do distinct populations cause intestinal motility alteration?. Parasitol Res 107, 239–242 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1871-5

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