Trypanosoma cruzi: productive infection is not allowed by chorionic villous explant from normal human placenta in vitro.
We hypothesize that a sustained infection of Trypanosoma cruzi into placental tissue might be diminished. Human placental chorionic villi and VERO cells as controls were co-cultured with T. cruzi. Parasites occupied 0.0137% at 3h, 0.0224% (24h), and 0.0572% (72 h) of the total chorionic villi area analyzed and some few placental samples were negative to parasite DNA, whereas 52% of VERO cells were infected at 3h and parasites occupied 0.57%, at 24h the parasite area was of 2.78% and at 72 h was of 3.32%. There were no live parasites in placenta-T. cruzi culture media at 72 h of co-culture. There were significantly increased dead parasites when T. cruzi was treated with unheated culture media coming from placental explants and fewer dead parasites when pre-heated culture media were employed.


CONCLUSIONS
Low productive infection by T. cruzi into placental tissue associated with no viable parasites in the culture media partially due to placental thermo labile substances.
Luján
C Díaz
CD
IIa. Cátedra de Biología Celular, Histología y Embriología, Facultad Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional Córdoba, Av. Colón 2077, Dpto. "E", (5003) Córdoba, Argentina.
Triquell
M F
MF
Sembaj
A
A
Guerrero
C E
CE
Fretes
R E
RE
D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000635:transmission; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000469:parasitology*; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014709:Vero Cells