Virulence of Trypanosoma cruzi from vector and reservoir in in natura açaí pulp resulting in food-borne acute Chagas disease at Pará State, Brazil

In recent decades some outbreaks of food-borne acute Chagas disease (ACD) in humans were identified by clinical and epidemiological characterization after association through the ingestion of açaí pulp probably contaminated with Trypanosoma cruzi. Whereas Belém and Abaetetuba stood out as important risk regions for disease transmission, the importance of Rhodnius pictipes, and Philander opossum for the biological cycle of T. cruzi, and data from agribusiness market of açaí to study T. cruzi from vector and reservoir of the Brazilian Amazon region is critical for this context. Thus, the purpose of this study was to verify the infective capacity and the virulence of T. cruzi in açaí pulp from vector and reservoir at Pará State experimentally. Methods: 10 5 T. cruzi I in in natura açaí pulp from Belém at Pará State, at room temperature, after forced sieving, by intraperitoneal, gavage or oral route of inoculation in B6.129S7Rag1 −/−tmMom /J Unib allowed food-borne ACD analysis using common light microscopy. Principal findings: T. cruzi in in natura açaí pulp from R. pictipes (Val-De-Cans Forest, Belém, and Ajuaí River, Abaetetuba, Pará), and P. opossum (Combu Island, Belém, Pará) caused ACD and death between 17 and 52 days after experimental infections in murine immunodeficient hosts. Conclusions: T. cruzi from different sources and locations at Pará State in in natura açaí pulp retained its infective capacity and virulence, and can cause new outbreaks of ACD by oral transmission. Additionally, quality basic education will facilitate efficient hygiene practices throughout the açaí productive chain can eradicate food-borne ACD in the coming decades1976875COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESsem informaçãoWe thank the Secretaria de Estado de Saúde Pública do Pará(SESPA), and the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) for the servicesprovided and resources; the Centro Multidisciplinar para InvestigaçãoBiológica na Área da Ciência de Animais de Laboratório (Cemib/Unicamp) for the infrastructure for this research, and the Coordenaçãode Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) to providefinancial support for this stud