Trypanosoma cruzi

Study from Argentina, describing T. cruzi surveillance in seronegative recipients of SOT from seropositive donors. Four donors and 8 recipients (D+/R-) were included in this work. Clinical details not described in the paper but as treatment was pre-emptive, it is assumed there were no symptoms when benznidazole was started. Parasiteamia detected through surveillance testing by quantitative real time PCR of T. cruzi satellite DNA in PBMC. Out of 4 kidney recipients who were followed up, 3 did not develop any evidence of infection after prolonged surveillance. Liver, lung and kidney recipients from the same donors and who became PCR positive in blood, were treated and responded to benznidazole 5mg/kg/d for 60 days, with control of parasitaemia and negative PCR. The kidney recipient who became infected had CNS involvement and PCR was also positive in CSF.