Open AccessTrypanosoma cruzi Survival following Cold Storage: Possible Implications for Tissue Banking
Author(s) -
Diana L. Martin,
Brook Goodhew,
Nancy Czaicki,
Kawanda Foster,
Srijana Rajbhandary,
Shawn A. Hunter,
Scott A. Brubaker
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0095398
Subject(s) - trypanosoma cruzi , chagas disease , cryopreservation , cryoprotectant , biology , parasite hosting , andrology , microbiology and biotechnology , cold storage , virology , medicine , embryo , world wide web , computer science , horticulture
While Trypanosoma cruzi , the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, is typically vector-borne, infection can also occur through solid organ transplantation or transfusion of contaminated blood products. The ability of infected human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps) to transmit T. cruzi is dependent upon T. cruzi surviving the processing and storage conditions to which HCT/Ps are subjected. In the studies reported here, T. cruzi trypomastigotes remained infective 24 hours after being spiked into blood and stored at room temperature (N = 20); in 2 of 13 parasite-infected cultures stored 28 days at 4°C; and in samples stored 365 days at −80°C without cryoprotectant (N = 28), despite decreased viability compared to cryopreserved parasites. Detection of viable parasites after multiple freeze/thaws depended upon the duration of frozen storage. The ability of T. cruzi to survive long periods of storage at +4 and −80°C suggests that T. cruzi -infected tissues stored under these conditions are potentially infectious.