Susceptibility of placental barrier to Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro

DÍAZ-LUJÁN CINTIA; TRIQUELL MARÍA FERNANDA; BOLATTI ELISA; PAGLINI PATRICIA; FRETES RICARDO E

Rosario, Santa Fe

Congreso; VIII Congreso Argentino de Protozoología y Enfermedades Parasitarias; 2008

Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología

The Chagas´disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a significant health and socio-economical problem in Central and South America. Infection may be acquired by transplacental route causing Congenital Chagas´disease (Who 2002). T. cruzi can reach the fetus crossing the STB, the first fetal barrier, among other possible routes. Syncytiotrophoblast (STB) is the most important epithelial structure in the maternal-fetal barrier and its turn over might be important in the transmission of infectious agents. The STB is continuously renewed by the fusion of underlying cytotrophoblast (CTB) and depleted by the extrusion and liberation of nuclei and cytoplasm into the maternal circulation (Huppertz et al, 1998). This is a dynamic process during over the course of pregnancy. It was described that chorionic villi does not allow the infection by the T. cruzi (Díaz-Luján et al, 2004). This phenomenon induced to us to hypothesize the STB is the placental component does not allow the process of infection.