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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 76(1), 2007, pp. 58-61
Copyright © 2007 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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SHORT REPORT


SPECIFIC TREATMENT FOR TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI: LACK OF EFFICACY OF ALLOPURINOL IN THE HUMAN CHRONIC PHASE OF CHAGAS DISEASE

ANIS RASSI, ALEJANDRO OSTERMAYER LUQUETTI*, ANIS RASSI, JR, GUSTAVO GABRIEL RASSI, SERGIO GABRIEL RASSI, IONIZETE GARCIA DA SILVA, AND ALEXANDRE GABRIEL RASSI
Anis Rassi Hospital, Goiânia, Brazil; Laboratório de Pesquisa da doença de Chagas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil; Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil

 

ABSTRACT

Thirty-five individuals from endemic areas of Central Brazil (age range, 18–64 years; 19 women) in the chronic phase of Chagas disease, with positive serology and presence of circulating parasites detected by one or more recent positive xenodiagnosis, were selected for this study. Allopurinol (900 mg/d) or placebo was administered in a double-blind clinical trial for 60 days. After codes were broken, 23 had been allocated to the intervention group and 12 to the placebo group. Side effects were observed in 11 patients in the intervention group and in 1 in the placebo group. Seventeen patients in the intervention group and 10 in the placebo group completed the trial. Follow-up was performed by monthly xenodiagnosis and serologic tests every 3 months during the first year and at the end of the trial. Xenodi-agnosis remained positive in all 17 of the treated group and in all 10 of the placebo group. Serologic tests were persistently positive in both groups after treatment. We concluded that, at the doses used, allopurinol was not effective to clear, in our region, Trypanosoma cruzi from peripheral blood of infected individuals.

Received March 11, 2006. Accepted for publication August 31, 2006.

Acknowledgments: We acknowledge Dr Álvaro Moncayo, TDR, for support in this project and Dr Daniela V. Luquetti for the English review of the manuscript.

Financial support: This work was financed by UNDP/WORLD BANK/WHO SPECIAL PROGRAMME, TDR Project 900415 and was monitored by Dr Lorrin Pang, WHO, to whom we are indebted.

* Address correspondence to Laboratório de Pesquisa da Doença de Chagas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Caixa Postal 1.031, 74001-970 Goiânia, Brazil. E-mail: aluquetti{at}hotmail.com

Authors’ addresses: Anis Rassi, Anis Rassi Jr, Gustavo Gabriel Rassi, Sergio Gabriel Rassi, and Alexandre Gabriel Rassi, Anis Rassi Hospital, Avenida José Alves Nr. 453, Setor Oeste, CEP 74110-020 Goiânia, Brazil. Alejandro O. Luquetti, Laboratório de Pesquisa da Doença de Chagas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Caixa Postal 1.031, 74001-970 Goiânia, Brazil. Ionizete Garcia da Silva, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia, Parasitologia e Patologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Univer-sidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil, Telephone: 55-62-9973-2315, Fax: 55-62-3521-1835, E-mail: aluquetti{at}hotmail.com or anisrassi{at}arh.com.br.






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Copyright © 2007 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.