Correlation between presence of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in heart tissue of baboons and cynomolgus monkeys, and lymphocytic myocarditis

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2014 Apr;90(4):627-33. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0448. Epub 2014 Feb 24.

Abstract

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, preferentially infects cardiac and digestive tissues. Baboons living in Texas (Papio hamadryas) and cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) have been reported to be infected naturally with T. cruzi. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed cases of animals that were diagnosed with lymphocytic myocarditis and used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method (S36/S35 primer set) to amplify T. cruzi DNA from archived frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cardiac tissues. We show that the PCR method is applicable in archived frozen and FFPE tissues and the sensitivity is in the femtogram range. A positive correlation between PCR positivity and lymphocytic myocarditis in both baboons and cynomolgus monkeys is shown. We also show epicarditis as a common finding in animals infected with T. cruzi.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chagas Cardiomyopathy / parasitology*
  • Chagas Cardiomyopathy / pathology
  • Chagas Cardiomyopathy / veterinary
  • DNA, Kinetoplast / analysis*
  • Female
  • Lymphocytes / pathology
  • Macaca fascicularis
  • Male
  • Monkey Diseases / parasitology
  • Myocarditis / parasitology
  • Myocarditis / pathology
  • Myocarditis / veterinary
  • Papio hamadryas
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Texas
  • Trypanosoma cruzi / genetics*
  • Trypanosoma cruzi / isolation & purification

Substances

  • DNA, Kinetoplast