Long-term follow-up of co-infected HIV and Trypanosoma cruzi Brazilian patients.
Three cases of Trypanosoma cruzi-HIV co-infected haemophiliacs are described. Parasitological (xenodiagnosis, haemoculture, PCR) and immunological (CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts, in vitro lymphoproliferative responses) studies were performed. Hybridization of isolated parasites with a specific probe confirmed the T. cruzi aetiology. We observed that despite the high parasitaemia, no clinical or parasitological evidence of T. cruzi reactivation was detected. CD4+ T cells decreased with time in two patients and the lymphocyte proliferative response to T. cruzi was very low in all patients. These data suggest that T. cruzi infection may have a long silent course in immunosuppressed HIV patients. Therefore, this parasitic infection should be investigated in any AIDS patient coming from areas endemic for Chagas' disease.
Laboratório de Imunidade Celular e Humoral em Protozooses, Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZ, Brazil.
A M
AM
Da-Cruz
R P
RP
Igreja
W
W
Dantas
A C V
AC
Junqueira
R S
RS
Pacheco
A J
AJ
Silva-Gonçalves
C
C
Pirmez
D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology