Experimental infections of anal glands of Didelphis marsupialis by Trypanosoma cruzi and the effects of immunosuppressive treatment

Trypanosome cruzi can develop through an extracellular cycle in the anal sc ent glands of opossums. Blood from infected opossums (Didelphis marsupialis ) was inoculated directly into the lumen of the anal glands of healthy opos sums, one of which developed parasitemia with detectable amastigotes in the heart, without anal gland colonisation. Control opossums and mice inoculat ed i.p. showed invasion of heart, skeletal muscle and pancreas and also col onisation of the anal glands lumen. Cyclophosphamide immunosuppression of a nimals with patent parasitemia showed slight elevation of parasitemia, but no recovery of parasitemia in an animal with latent infection nor scent gla nd infection in any of the animals. These preliminary results suggest that T. cruzi blood trypomastigotes can penetrate the mucosa of the anal glands and establish systemic infection. Established infections were not significa ntly modified by the immunosuppression protocol used in this study.