Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Córdoba, 5000 Cordoba, Argentina.
J Trop Med. 2012;2012:614820. doi: 10.1155/2012/614820. Epub 2012 May 30.
Congenital Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease, endemic in Latin America, is associated with premature labor and miscarriage. During vertical transmission the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) crosses the placental barrier. However, the exact mechanism of the placental infection remains unclear. We review the congenital transmission of T. cruzi, particularly the role of possible local placental factors that contribute to the vertical transmission of the parasite. Additionally, we analyze the different methods available for studying the congenital transmission of the parasite. In that context, the ex vivo infection with T. cruzi trypomastigotes of human placental chorionic villi constitutes an excellent tool for studying parasite infection strategies as well as possible local antiparasitic mechanisms.
先天性恰加斯病是一种被忽视的热带病，流行于拉丁美洲，与早产和流产有关。在垂直传播过程中，寄生虫克氏锥虫（T. cruzi）穿过胎盘屏障。然而，胎盘感染的确切机制尚不清楚。我们回顾了 T. cruzi 的先天性传播，特别是可能有助于寄生虫垂直传播的局部胎盘因素的作用。此外，我们还分析了研究寄生虫先天性传播的不同方法。在这种情况下，用 T. cruzi 锥虫感染人胎盘绒毛膜绒毛是研究寄生虫感染策略和可能的局部抗寄生虫机制的极好工具。
