Summary
A survey was conducted among Latin American immigrants living in Berlin to investigate the presence ofTrypanosoma cruzi infection and to evaluate possible risk factors. One hundred persons were interviewed about risk factors (rural origin, contact with the reduviid bug) and evaluated serologically. The sera were tested with indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). All samples seroreactive with IIF were additionally evaluated with an ELISA forT. cruzi antibodies. To rule out cross-reactivity all seroreactive sera were tested with IIF forLeishmania infantum antibodies. Two persons were seroreactive in IIF and ELISA and three were seroreactive in the IIF only. The overall seroprevalence according to WHO criteria was therefore 2% (2/100). All samples were negative forLeishmania antibodies. Only one of the seropositive persons showed a risk factor forT. cruzi infection in their medical history. These findings suggest that routine serologic testing of Latin Americans is indicated to reduce the risk of transmission by blood transfusion and congenital transmission.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anonymous: Control of Chagas' disease. WHO Technical Report Series, World Health Organization (1991) 811.
Dias, J. C. P., Brener, S. Chagas' disease and blood transfusion. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz S79 (1984) 139–147.
Azogue, E. Women and congenital Chagas' disease in Santa Cruz, Bolivia: epidemiological and sociocultural aspects. Soc. Sci. Med. 37 (1993) 503–511.
Schmuñis, G. A. Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas' disease: status in the blood supply in endemic and nonendemic countries. Transfusion 6 (1991) 547–557.
Grant, I. H., Gold, J. W., Wittener, M., Tanowitz, H. B., Nathan, C., Mayer, K., Reich, L., Wollener, N., Steinherz, L., Ghavimi, F., O'Reilly, R., Armstrong, D. Transfusion associated acute Chagas' disease acquired in the United States. Ann. Intern. Med. 111 (1989) 849–851.
Kirchhoff, L. V., Gam, A. A., Gillian, F. C. American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease) in Central American immigrants. Am. J. Med. 82 (1987) 915–920.
Villalba, R., Fornés, G., Alvarez, M. A., Román, J., Rubio, V., Fernández, M., García, J. M., Viñals, M., Torres, A. Acute Chagas' disease in a recipient of a bone marrow transplant in Spain: case report. Clin. Infect. Dis. 14 (1992) 594–595.
Pehrson, P. O., Wahlgren, M., Bengtson, E. Asymptomatic congenital Chagas' disease in a 5-year-old child. Scand. J. Infect. Dis. 13 (1981) 307–308.
Schattschneider, W., Lopes, E. R., De Alencar, J. E., Bienzle, U., Feldmeier, H. A comparative study of four serological methods for diagnosis of acute and chronic Chagas' disease in Brazilian patients. Trop. Geogr. Med. 44 (1992) 210–218.
Feldmeier, H., Fischer, H., Blaumeister, G. Kinetics of humoral response during the acute and the convalescent phase of human trichinosis. Zentralbl. Bakt. Hyg. 264 (1987) 221–234.
Voller, A., Draper, C., Bidwell, D. E., Bartlett, A. Microplate enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for Chagas' disease. Lancet i (1975) 426–429.
Carvalho, M. R., Krieger, M. A., Almeida, E., Oelemann, W., Shikanai-Yassuda, M. A., Ferreira, A. W., Perreira, J. B., Sáez-Alquézar, A., Dorlhiac-Llacer, P. E., Chamone, D. F., Goldenberg, S. Chagas' disease diagnosis: evaluation of several tests in bloodbank screening. Transfusion 33 (1993) 830–834.
Kerndt, P. R., Waskin, H. A., Kirchoff, L. V., Steurer, F., Waterman, S. H., Nelson, J. M., Gellert, G. A., Shulman, I. A. Prevalence of antibody toTrypanosoma cruzi among blood donors in Los Angeles, California. Transfusion 31 (1991) 814–818.
Wendel, S., Brenner, Z., Camargo, M. E., Rassi, A.: Chagas' disease (American trypanosomiasis): its impact on transfusion and clinical medicine. 22nd Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), São Paulo Brazil (1992) 165–178.
Carrasco, R., Miguez, H., Camacho, C. Prevalence ofTrypanosoma cruzi infection in blood banks of seven departments of Bolivia. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz 85 (1990) 69–73.
Schofield, C. J. Control of Chagas' disease vectors. Br. Med. Bull. 41 (1985) 187–194.
Weinke, T., Ueberreiter, K., Alexander, M. Cardiac morbidity due to Chagas' disease in a rural community in Bolivia. Epidemiol. Infect. 101 (1988) 655–660.
Appleman, M. D., Shulman, I. A., Saxena, S., Kirchhoff, L. V. Use of a questionnaire to identify potential blood donors at risk for infection withTrypanosoma cruzi. Transfusion 33 (1993) 61–64.
Arcavi, M., Orfus, G., Griemberg, G. Incidencia de la infección chagasica en embarazadas y en recién nacidos en un area no endemica. Medicina (Buenos Aires) 53 (1993) 217–222.
Gianella, A., von Poser, B., Zamora, P. Chagas' infection in university students of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia: a serologic-electro-cardiographic study. Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. São Paulo 36 (1994) 515–518.
Wendel, S., Gonzaga, A. L. Chagas' disease and blood transfusion: a new world problem? Vox Sang, 64 (1993) 1–12.
Anonymous: Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit, In: Fachserie 1: Reihe 2 Ausländer, 1994, Statistisches Bundesamt. Verlag Metzler-Poeschel, Stuttgart (1995) pp. 8–19.
Kirchhoff, L. V. American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease) — a tropical disease now in the United States. N. Engl. J. Med. 329 (1993) 639–644.
Dias, J. C. P. Control of Chagas' disease in Brazil. Parasitol. Today 3 (1987) 336–341.
Rassi, A., Rezende, J. M. Prevention of transmission ofTrypanosoma cruzi by blood transfusion. In: New approaches to trypanosomiasis research (scientific publication no. 318) Pan Am. Health Org., Washington (1975), pp. 273–278.
Nickerson, P., Pamela, O., Schroeder, M. L., Sekla, L., Johnston, J. B. Transfusion-associatedTrypanosoma cruzi infection in a non-endemic area. Ann. Intern. Med. 111 (1989) 851–853.
Howard, J., Rubio, M. Congenital Chagas disease: clinical and epidemiological study of thirty cases. Bol. Chil. Parasitol. 23 (1968) 107–112.
Freilij, F., Muller, L., Gonzalez, S. Direct micromethod for diagnosis of acute and congenital Chagas' disease. J. Clin. Microbiol. 18 (1983) 327–330.
Freilij, F., Altech, J. Congenital Chagas' disease: diagnostic and clinical aspects. Clin. Infect. Dis. 21 (1995) 551–555.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Frank, M., Hegenscheid, B., Janitschke, K. et al. Prevalence and epidemiological significance ofTrypanosoma cruzi infection among latin american immigrants in Berlin, Germany. Infection 25, 355–358 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01740817
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01740817