Abstract
Several cases of acute Chagas disease (ACD) have been reported in the Peruvian Amazon basin. The objective was to describe and investigate 6 ACD cases in children from indigenous Amazon communities in the province of Datem del Marañón in Loreto department (2006-2010). The mean age was 3.6 years. All patients had fever, 4/6 hepatomegaly, 2/6 splenomegaly, and 5/6 had trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi on thick smears. The fatality rate was 33.3%. Rhodnius pictipes and Rhodnius robustus adults were found inside the homes and in the peri-domiciles. All cases reported were isolated cases. We report a new focus of ACD in indigenous populations.
Highlights
Several cases of acute Chagas disease (ACD) have been reported in the Peruvian Amazon basin
Rhodnius pictipes and Rhodnius robustus adults were found inside the homes and in the peri-domiciles
We report a new focus of ACD in indigenous populations
Summary
The present study comprises a review of the investigation sheets and clinical files of the ACD cases reported. The parents and family relatives of the patients were interviewed with the help of a translator from the community, and serum samples were obtained for T. cruzi[5] detection. Blood samples were obtained according to the methods described elsewhere[5,8], and serum samples were evaluated to detect anti-T. cruzi IgG antibodies with Chagatest ELISA recombinant v. 30, Wiener Lab®, and by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) with a diagnostic titer value of 1:32 When both tests were reactive was a patient considered seropositive for T. cruzi infection. Clinic and epidemiologic aspects of the identified ACD cases (Table 1) and the results of the investigation of collateral cases are presented
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