Table 1. Percentage of T. cruzi—positive tissues analyzed by bioluminescence and qPCR methods.
| Times after infection | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 min | 7 dpi | 21 dpi | |||||
| Region | Tissues | BLI (n) | qPCR (n) | BLI (n) | qPCR (n) | BLI (n) | qPCR (n) |
| Oral cavity and adjacent organs | Nasal cavity | 100% (4) | 80% (5) | 100% (6) | 100% (5) | 50% (4) | 100% (4) |
| Palate | NA | I | 75% (4) | I | 25% (4) | I | |
| Mandible | 50% (2) | NA | 50% (6) | NA | 75%(4) | NA | |
| Cheeks muscle | ND (2) | NA | 50% (4) | NA | 100% (4) | NA | |
| Tongue | ND (2) | I | ND (6) | I | ND (4) | I | |
| Head and neck organs | Mandibular LN | NA | 75% (4) | 50% (4) | 100% (3) | 25% (4) | 100% (3) |
| Salivary gland | ND (2) | NA | ND (6) | NA | 75%(4) | NA | |
| Brain | ND (2) | ND (5) | 66,6% (6) | 20% (5) | ND (4) | 100% (4) | |
| Pituitary gland | NA | ND (5) | ND (4) | 80% (5) | ND (4) | 100% (4) | |
| Eyes | ND (2) | NA | ND (6) | NA | ND (4) | NA | |
| Abdominal organs | Spleen | ND (2) | ND (5) | 66,6%(6) | 100% (4) | 25% (4) | 100% (4) |
| Liver | ND(2) | ND (5) | 33,3%(6) | 60% (5) | 25% (4) | 100% (4) | |
| Mesenteric fat and LN | NA | NA | 25% (4) | NA | 100%(4) | NA | |
| Gastrointestinal tract organs | Esophagus | ND (2) | 25% (4) | 16,6% (6) | NA | 50% (4) | 100% (3) |
| Stomach | ND (2) | 75% (4) | ND (6) | 25% (4) | 50% (4) | 100% (3) | |
| Small intestine | ND (2) | 20% (5) | 50% (6) | 100% (3) | 75% (4) | 100% (4) | |
| Large intestine | ND (2) | 20% (5) | 16,6% (6) | ND (4) | 75% (4) | 100% (4) | |
| Genital organs | Male sex organs | ND (2) | NA | 33,3% (6) | NA | 100% (4) | NA |
| Thorax organs | Heart | ND (2) | 20% (5) | ND (6) | 80% (5) | 50% (4) | 100% (4) |
| Lung | ND (2) | NA | ND (6) | NA | 25% (4) | NA | |
BLI: Bioluminescence imaging; n: number of animals; LN: Lymph nodes; NA- not analyzed; ND- not detected; I- PCR inhibition. The percentage of infected tissues was obtained from the number of tissues presenting bioluminescence signal or T. cruzi SatDNA amplification, over the total number of tissue (from different mice) analyzed.