Trypanosoma Cruzi I Genotype Among Isolates from Chronic Chagasic Patients followed at the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (Fiocruz, Brazil)

Abstract

Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of the Chagas disease in humans, mainly in Latin America, including Brazil. However, the international migration, generally of asymptomatic patients to non-endemic countries of the North America, western Pacific region and Europe, has spread the Chagas disease by non-vectorial routes. Nowadays, the chagasic infection is considered an emerging global health problem. Trypanosoma cruzi presents high genetic diversity with the recognition of at least six lineages (TcI-VI). This parasite can cause different clinical manifestations, including regional variations. In this study, nine trypanosome stocks obtained by hemoculture from chronic chagasic patients who were under ambulatory care at the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI, Fiocruz) were characterized by different approaches. The patients proceeded from five Brazilian States (Pernambuco, Paraíba, Bahia, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul).