Genitourinary changes in hamsters infected and reinfected with Trypanosoma cruzi.
Authors describe genitourinary changes in male hamsters infected and reinfected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Changes in genital organs have been described in human and in experimental chagasic infection. Genital dysfunctions in chronic chagasic patients affect ejaculation, libido and sexual potency, and testis biopsies may show arrested maturation of germ cells, oligozoospermia and azoospermia. Sixty-five male hamsters were inoculated and reinoculated with 2x10  trypomastigotes of T. cruzi VIC strain, and 22 non-infected animals constituted the control group. Animals were necropsied and fragments from testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle and bladder were collected and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Peroxidase anti-peroxidase procedure was utilized to detect tissue parasitism. T. cruzi nests were found in testis, epididymis and seminal vesicle of these hamsters. Such parasitism plays a role in the origin of genital lesions observed in humans and laboratory animals during chronic chagasic infection.
Cabrine-Santos
Marlene
M
Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina do Triângulo Mineiro, 38025-440, Uberaba, MG, Brasil.
dos Santos
Vitorino Modesto
VM
de Lima
Marcus Aurelho
MA
de Abreu
Marta Elena Araújo
ME
Lages-Silva
Eliane
E
Ramírez
Luís Eduardo
LE
D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006224:Cricetinae; D004822:Epididymis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D013737:Testis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*