[Experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection via contaminated water and food]

In order to determine the efficiency of different foods and water to maintain the infectivity of T. cruzi, the percentage of animals that resulted infected when they were ingested was registered. The materials were contaminated with metacyclic trypomastigotes from triatomine bugs feces, the infection in the mice were registered by directed observation of the parasite in the blood and corroborate by xenodiagnosis. Pasteurized milk infected the highest number of mice and the infectivity lasted longer than any other item tested. The efficacy of infectivity of fresh cheese and rice lasted after three hours and the percentage of infected mice was lower than with milk. Cooked and raw beefmeal and water resulted in the lowest, although similar number of infected mice. The infective capacity lasted only for a short time. It appears that the main differences obtained in infectivity depended on the different contents of moisture and nutrients in the solution.