Volume 15, Number 4—April 2009
THEME ISSUE
The Amazon Region
Dispatches
Oral Transmission of Chagas Disease by Consumption of Açaí Palm Fruit, Brazil
Aglaêr A. Nóbrega
, Marcio H. Garcia, Erica Tatto, Marcos T. Obara, Elenild Costa, Jeremy Sobel, and Wildo N. Araujo
, Marcio H. Garcia, Erica Tatto, Marcos T. Obara, Elenild Costa, Jeremy Sobel, and Wildo N. AraujoTable 2
Food exposures in a cohort study of 5 case-patients with acute Chagas disease, Barcarena, Brazil, 2006*
| Exposure† | Ill, no. (%) | Not ill, no. (%) | RR | 95% CI | p value‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Açaí, thick paste | 3 (100) | 0 | 4.5 | 1.3–15.3 | 0.04 |
| Açaí juice at health post | 3 (100) | 0 | 4.5 | 1.3–15.3 | 0.04 |
| Chilled açaí juice | 1 (12) | 7 (88) | 0.1 | 0.02–0.8 | 0.02 |
| Charque | 3 (75) | 2 (25) | 5.3 | 0.8–35.1 | 0.09 |
| Cupuaçu | 2 (100) | 0 | 3.3 | 1.3–8.6 | 0.15 |
| Biribá | 1 (50) | 1 (50) | 1.3 | 0.3–6.1 | 0.68 |
| Muruci | 1 (100) | 0 | 2.3 | 1.3–6.0 | 0.42 |
| Any raw food | 4 (67) | 2 (33) | 4.0 | 0.6–26.1 | 0.12 |
*RR, relative risk; CI, confidence interval.
†Charque is dried, salted meat; cupuaçu, biribá, and muruci are fruits.
‡By Fisher exact test.
