title: Pre-Columbian Chagas disease in Brazil: Trypanosoma cruzi I in the archaeological remains of a human in Peruaçu Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: We evaluated the presence and distribution of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in a mummy presenting with megacolon that was dated as approximately 560 +/- 40 years old. The mummy was from the Peruaçu Valley in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. All samples were positive for T. cruzi minicircle DNA, demonstrating the presence and broad dissemination of the parasite in this body. From one sample, a mini-exon gene fragment was recovered and characterized by sequencing and was found to belong to the T. cruzi I genotype. This finding suggests that T. cruzi I infected humans during the pre-Columbian times and that, in addition to T. cruzi infection, Chagas disease in Brazil most likely preceded European colonization.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Genética Molecular de Microorganismos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Alena M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Iñiguez
authors.forename: Valdirene S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Sheila M F Mendonça de
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Luiz Fernando
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Ana Carolina P
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000266:history* / Q000469:parasitology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D005838:Genotype; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008531:Megacolon / Q000266:history* / Q000469:parasitology; D009106:Mummies / Q000469:parasitology*; D010164:Paleopathology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan