Abstract
ABSTRACT Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, has often been linked to oral transmission through açai consumption. Molecular methods that allow fast and accurate identification of the pathogen are important for the detection of the presence of the parasite in this food. This study aimed to optimize polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection of T. cruzi DNA in açai pulp. Several dilutions of T. cruzi DTU TcI trypomastigote forms were cultured in liver infusion tryptose (LIT) medium. Trypanosoma cruzi DNA was extracted from the cells and subjected to PCR. Subsequently, culture dilutions were added to açai pulp to evaluate the detection threshold of the optimized PCR assay. We demonstrate that our assay can detect T. cruzi DNA in açai pulp at a concentration of 1.08 × 10-10 ng µL-1. We conclude that our optimized protocol is effective and can be used as an important tool for the detection of T. cruzi contamination in açaí.
Highlights
Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 is a unicellular eukaryote that belongs to the kingdom Protozoa, order Kinetoplastida, and family Trypanosomatidae (Adl et al 2012)
It was demonstrated that genetic factors can influence oral infectivity and that the high mortality rates in cases of human oral transmission can be explained by factors such as size of the inoculum, parasite genetics and lack of previous exposure to T. cruzi (Lewis et al 2018)
DNA was extracted from 3.5 × 104 -1 T. cruzi discrete typing unit (DTU) TcIV isolate obtained from the protozoology collection of Fundação Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Summary
Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 is a unicellular eukaryote that belongs to the kingdom Protozoa, order Kinetoplastida, and family Trypanosomatidae (Adl et al 2012). It was demonstrated that genetic factors can influence oral infectivity and that the high mortality rates in cases of human oral transmission can be explained by factors such as size of the inoculum, parasite genetics and lack of previous exposure to T. cruzi (Lewis et al 2018). Factors such as poor hygiene conditions during fruit handling and transport affect the oral transmission of the pathogen (Xavier et al 2014). Studies on the importance of these factors in the oral transmission of T. cruzi are necessary
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
