[Placental lesions in human Trypanosoma cruzi infection].
This histopathological study analyzes placentas of babies congenitally infected with T. cruzi (M+B+), or babies not infected but born from infected- (M+B-), or non infected-mothers (M-B-). Placentas M+B+ showed lesions of chorionitis, chorioamnionitis and cord edema with lymphocyte infiltration, whereas such lesions were infiltrated only with polymorphonuclear cells in M+B- and M-B- placentas. Parasites were found in M+B+ placentas, in fibroblasts and macrophages of chorion, membranes, chorionic plate, mainly in the area of membrane insertion, as well as in cells of Wharton jelly and myocytes of umbilical cord vessels. These results suggest that the materno-fetal transmission of parasites occurs mainly through the marginal sinus, spreading into the chorionic plate infecting fibroblasts and macrophages so far as to found a fetal vessel, inducing a fetal infection by hematogenous route.
Laboratoire d'Anatomie Pathologique, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
Sergio
S
Fernandez-Aguilar
Maria-Alexandra
MA
Lambot
Faustino
F
Torrico
Cristina
C
Alonso-Vega
Marysol
M
Córdoba
Eduardo
E
Suarez
Jean-Christophe
JC
Noël
Yves
Y
Carlier
D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission*; D002821:Chorioamnionitis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D002823:Chorion / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D010920:Placenta / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000473:pathology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000302:isolation & purification