%0 Journal Article
%T Resting and Dynamic Electrocardiography in Dogs with Experimental Chagas Cardiomyopathy
%A R. Oliveira Alves
%A A. A. Camacho
%A D. P. Junior
%J Epidemiology Research International
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/153539
%X In the present protocol, adult dogs were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, Bolivian strain, in order to show electrocardiographic changes by means of resting and dynamic (Holter) methods during acute and chronic phases of Chagas disease. In the acute phase there were sinus tachycardia, atrial and left ventricular overload, millivoltage suppression, electric alternance, and episodes of sinus arrest. At the parasitemia peak, atrium-ventricular block, junctional escape complexes, and atrium-ventricular dissociation were observed. Dogs that presented the most serious arrhythmias died suddenly. The increase in supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmic events, concentrated in the 4th postinoculation week, was visible at electrocardiographic monitoring. In the chronic phase, the events were restricted to first-degree atrium-ventricular blocks, premature ventricular complexes, ventricular bigeminy, and electrical alternation. It was concluded that the computerized and dynamic electrocardiography allowed to diagnose transient arrhythmia and to observe that the main tachyarrhythmic changes are concentrated at the acute phase concomitantly to the parasitemia peak. 1. Introduction Even a century after its discovery, Chagas disease remains a significant public health problem whose pathogenesis is not well understood, which perpetuates it as an intriguing challenge arising from the complex host-parasite interaction. It is an American exclusive endemic disease, which goes from the southern United States to southern Argentina, and it represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin America [1]. Currently, 10 million people living between Mexico and Argentina are infected, 10.000 people died only in 2008 as a result of this disease, and it is estimated that 28 million people are at high risk of acquiring it [2]. Dogs have been considered an important domestic reservoir of the parasite and also serve as a sentinel to detect infection in humans [3], requiring more attention by the scientific community [4]. Moreover, it is considered a suitable experimental model to the study of Chagas disease, because it is the only one so far to develop all phases of the disease, and showing similar manifestations as in humans. Considering this scenario, in the present protocol, adult dogs were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, Bolivian strain, with the purpose of showing the electrocardiographic changes produced by this strain during the acute and chronic phases of the disease and, thus, providing more accurate and enlightening data about this disease. 2. Materials and
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/eri/2012/153539/