Is Trypanosomiasis in the Lactating Rat Transmitted to the Sucking Young?

Chagas disease and breast-feeding

Mothers with this disease should continue breast-feeding unless they are experiencing the acute phase, reactivated disease, or bleeding nipples.

Chagas disease (infection by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi) is a major parasitic disease of the Americas and one of the main neglected tropical diseases. Although various routes of transmission sre recognized, the risk for transmission of the infection through breast-feeding has not clearly been established. We reviewed the literature on transmission of T. cruzi through breast-feeding to provide breast-feeding mothers with Chagas disease with medical guidance. Although data from animal studies and human studies are scarce, we do not recommend that mothers with Chagas disease discontinue breast-feeding, unless they are experiencing the acute phase of the disease, reactivated disease resulting from immunosuppression, or bleeding nipples. In these cases, thermal treatment of milk before feeding the infant may be considered.

Trypanosoma cruzi--milk transmission of infection and immunity from mother to young

Trypanosomes are consistently present in the milk of lactating mice with primary phase T. cruzi infections (Peru strain). The infection is transmitted to the young, although rarely, mainly due to the difficulty of establishing infection via the oral route. Lactating females which had recovered from the primary phase of T. cruzi infection consistently transferred antibody to their young during suckling. The antibody in the serum of the young and milk of the mother was detectable by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique. In the case of the Peru strain the presence of antibody transferred to the young in this way correlated with very good protection against T. cruzi. Antibody transferred to the young was no longer detectable 6 weeks after birth. The indirect fluorescent antibody technique using bloodform antigen proved specific and highly sensitive throughout, giving prolonged and comparably high titres in mice infected with chronic and acute strains of T. cruzi.