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(American Journal of Pathology. 2002;161:673-680.)
© 2002 American Society for Investigative Pathology

Regular Articles

Acute Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Mouse Induces Infertility or Placental Parasite Invasion and Ischemic Necrosis Associated with Massive Fetal Loss

Abdelkarim Mjihdi*, Marie-Alexandra Lambot{dagger}, Ian J. Stewart{ddagger}, Olivier Detournay*, Jean-Christophe Noël{dagger}, Yves Carlier* and Carine Truyens*

From the Laboratoire de Parasitologie,*Faculté de Médecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; the Laboratoire d’Anatomie Pathologique,{dagger}Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium; and the Department of Biomedical Science,{ddagger}Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland

Pathogens may impair reproduction in association or not with congenital infections. We have investigated the effect of acute infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan agent of Chagas’ disease in Latin America, on reproduction of mice. Although mating of infected mice occurred at a normal rate, 80% of them did not become gravid. In the few gravid infected mice, implantation numbers were as in uninfected control mice, but 28% of fetuses resorbed. Such infertility and early fetal losses were significantly associated with high maternal parasitemia. The remaining fetuses presented with reduced weights and all died later in gestation or within 48 hours after birth. Several organs of these fetuses were infiltrated by polynuclear cells and presented ischemic necrosis but did not harbor T. cruzi parasites, discarding congenital infection as the cause of mortality. However, surprisingly, the deciduas were massively invaded by T. cruzi parasites, harboring 125-fold more amastigotes than the maternal heart or other placental tissues. Parasites were significantly more numerous in the placentas of dead fetuses. In addition, placentas contained inflammatory infiltrates and displayed ischemic necrosis, fibrin deposits, and vascular thromboses. These results show that acute T. cruzi infection totally impairs reproduction in mice through inducing infertility or fetal-neonatal losses in association with placental parasite invasion and ischemic necrosis.




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H. Id Boufker, H. Alexandre, Y. Carlier, and C. Truyens
Infertility in Murine Acute Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Is Associated with Inhibition of Pre-Implantation Embryo Development
Am. J. Pathol., November 1, 2006; 169(5): 1730 - 1738.
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