Trypanosoma cruziin the Cerebrospinal Fluid during the Acute Stage of Chagas' Disease

THE extent of Central-nervous-system involvement in Chagas' disease is not known.1 The only well recognized neurologic complication during the acute infection is meningoencephalitis. In patients so affected the cerebrospinal fluid contains excess protein and lymphocytes,2 and intracellular Trypanosoma cruzi can be found in the brain and in the reticular cells of the leptomeninges.3 When neurologic manifestations are absent during acute infection, the cerebrospinal fluid has been reported to be normal,4 normal except for the presence of antibody to T. cruzi, 5 or as showing elevated levels of protein and increased numbers of lymphocytes.6 In these cases direct examination revealed no T. . . .