Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alba L. Montoya, Elisa G. Carvajal, Uriel Ortega-Rodriguez, Igor L. Estevao, Roger A. Ashmus, Sohan R. Jankuru, Susana Portillo, Cameron C. Ellis, Colin D. Knight, Julio Alonso-Padilla, Luis Izquierdo, Maria-Jesus Pinazo, Joaquim Gascon, Veronica Suarez, Douglas M. Watts, Iliana R. Malo, Janine M. Ramsey, Belkisyole Alarcon De Noya, Oscar Noya, Igor C. Almeida, Katja Michael
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions of people worldwide. The diagnosis and treatment assessment of Chagas disease is challenging due to parasite diversity and the lack of biomarkers. This study explores the potential of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored mucins as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment assessment in Chagas disease patients.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Naiara Dutra Barroso Gomes, Emanuel Paula Magalhaes, Lyanna Rodrigues Ribeiro, John Washington Cavalcante, Marcelo Morais Gomes Maia, Felipe Ramon Cunha da Silva, Arif Ali, Marcia Machado Marinho, Emmanuel Silva Marinho, Helcio Silva dos Santos, Alice Maria Costa Martins, Ramon Roseo Paula Pessoa Bezerra de Menezes
Summary: This study evaluated the activity of synthetic p-aminochalcones against T. cruzi and found that they have a trypanocidal effect by causing membrane damage and oxidative stress. Their mechanism of action may be related to inhibition of cruzain and TR.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Suzana Marques de Jesus, Leonardo Pinto, Fernanda de Lima Moreira, Glauco Henrique Balthazar Nardotto, Rodrigo Cristofoletti, Luisa Perin, Katia da Silva Fonseca, Pauliana Barbedo, Lorena Cera Bandeira, Paula Melo de Abreu Vieira, Claudia Martins Carneiro
Summary: Chronic infection with Trypanosoma cruzi alters the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of benznidazole in mice, potentially impacting the therapeutic dosing regimen. This study suggests that chronic Chagas disease patients may require adjustments in benznidazole pharmacokinetics and dosing due to changes in drug exposure and tissue distribution.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Maria Carmo P. Nunes, Lewis F. Buss, Jose Luiz P. Silva, Larissa Natany A. Martins, Claudia Di Lorenzo Oliveira, Clareci Silva Cardoso, Bruno Oliveira de Figueiredo Brito, Ariela Mota Ferreira, Lea Campos Oliveira, Ana Luiza Bierrenbach, Fabio Fernandes, Michael P. Busch, Viviane Tiemi Hotta, Luiz Mario Baptista Martinelli, Maria Carolina F. Almeida Soeiro, Adriana Brentegani, Vera M. C. Salemi, Marcia M. Menezes, Antonio Luiz P. Ribeiro, Ester Cerdeira Sabino
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive description of the natural history of T. cruzi seropositivity in a contemporary patient population, highlighting the central importance of anti-T. cruzi antibody titer as a marker of Chagas disease activity and risk of progression.
Article
Immunology
Yves Carlier, Carine Truyens, Eric Muraille
Summary: This study discusses the potential role of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in the trans-placental parasite transmission or the development of severe and fatal clinical forms of congenital/neonatal Chagas disease in newborns of T. cruzi-infected mothers. It highlights the importance of understanding how antibodies transmitted from infected pregnant women may influence the neonatal immune response to the parasite.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Miguel H. Santamaria, Luisa Delgado Rios, Ricardo S. Corral
Summary: Upon infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, adipocytes exhibit an inflammatory phenotype with decreased adiponectin expression, influencing the pathogenesis of Chagas heart disease. T. cruzi interferes with transcriptional regulation of adiponectin production in mouse adipocytes by activating the Ca2+/calcineurin/NFATc4 signaling pathway.
MICROBES AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Juliana Magalhaes Chaves Barbosa, Yasmin Pedra Rezende, Tatiana Galvao de Melo, Gabriel de Oliveira, Cynthia Machado Cascabulho, Evelyn Nunes Goulart da Silva Pereira, Anissa Daliry, Kelly Salomao Salem
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions of people in Latin America. The current treatment options have limitations, and combined therapy with amiodarone and benznidazole shows promise in reducing parasitemia and improving cardiac damage in acutely infected mice.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Sergio Castaneda, Marina Munoz, Peter J. Hotez, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Alberto E. Paniz-Mondolfi, Kathryn M. Jones, Rojelio Mejia, Cristina Poveda, Juan David Ramirez
Summary: Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and has a profound impact on the gastrointestinal tract. Alterations in the gut microbiome caused by the parasite may play a crucial role in host-parasite interactions and immune responses. Understanding this interaction could provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of the disease and the development of new treatments.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Gisele Macedo Rodrigues da Cunha, Maira Araujo Azevedo, Denise Silva Nogueira, Marianna de Carvalho Climaco, Edward Valencia Ayala, Juan Atilio Jimenez Chunga, Raul Jesus Ynocente La Valle, Lucia Maria da Cunha Galvao, Egler Chiari, Carlos Ramon Nascimento Brito, Rodrigo Pedro Soares, Paula Monalisa Nogueira, Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara, Ricardo Gazzinelli, Robert Hincapie, Carlos-Sanhueza Chaves, Fabricio Marcus Silva Oliveira, M. G. Finn, Alexandre Ferreira Marques
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, lacks an approved vaccine and adequate treatment for chronic infection. This study demonstrates that a vaccine utilizing virus-like particles can induce beneficial effects, including immune responses against acute and chronic infection, controlling parasitemia, and reducing heart inflammation and parasite nests in heart tissue.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Leonardo da Silva Lara, Guilherme Curty Lechuga, Lorraine Martins Rocha Orlando, Byanca Silva Ferreira, Bernardo Araujo Souto, Mauricio Silva dos Santos, Mirian Claudia de Souza Pereira
Summary: Chagas disease is a long-standing disease that primarily affects impoverished populations in Latin America. The available drugs have limited effectiveness and intense side effects. This study explores the biological activity of two new series of pyrazole-thiazoline derivatives with potential therapeutic options against Trypanosoma cruzi. These derivatives show potent activity with good oral bioavailability and low cytotoxicity, making them potential candidates for Chagas disease therapy.
Article
Infectious Diseases
A. Abras, C. Ballart, A. Fernandez-Arevalo, T. Llovet, M. Gallego, C. Munoz
Summary: The study evaluated two algorithms for the diagnosis of chronic and congenital Chagas disease, with CMIA showing potential as a single diagnostic test in non-endemic countries and the revised algorithm with the >= 6 S/CO proving to be an efficient method for chronic CD diagnosis. For infants with congenital infection, CMIA could potentially be used as a single test for screening at 10 months or earlier, but further research is needed.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Amilcar Flores, Cristina Alonso-Vega, Emmanuel Hermann, Mary-Cruz Torrico, Nair Alaide Montano Villarroel, Faustino Torrico, Yves Carlier, Carine Truyens
Summary: Monocytes from newborns born to Trypanosoma cruzi infected mothers are more activated and capable of controlling T. cruzi infection better than monocytes from newborns born to uninfected mothers.
Article
Parasitology
Veronica Olivera, Maria L. Bizai, Evelyn Arias, Santiago Suasnabar, Oscar Bottasso, Ivan Marcipar, Diana Fabbro
Summary: The study found that levels of anti-B13 antibodies in patients who received trypanocidal treatment decreased over time, while untreated patients did not show significant variations. Among untreated patients, ELISA-B13 reactivity was associated with heart involvement.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mariana C. Pagotti, Herbert J. Dias, Ana Carolina B. B. Candido, Thais A. S. Oliveira, Alexandre Borges, Nicoli D. Oliveira, Carla D. Lopes, Renato P. Orenha, Renato L. T. Parreira, Antonio E. M. Crotti, Lizandra G. Magalhaes
Summary: Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease, affects over 8 million people. Although current therapies have limited effectiveness and high toxicity, the search for new drugs remains important. In this study, neolignans were synthesized and evaluated for their activity against Trypanosoma cruzi strains. Four neolignans demonstrated activity against the T. cruzi strain, with DBN 1 exhibiting the highest activity. In silico analysis showed that these compounds could destabilize tubulin-microtubule interactions. These compounds have potential as molecular prototypes for developing new antiparasitic drugs.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Johny Wysllas de Freitas Oliveira, Mariana Farias Alves da Silva, Igor Zumba Damasceno, Hugo Alexandre Oliveira Rocha, Arnobio Antonio da Silva Junior, Marcelo Sousa Silva
Summary: This study investigated the encapsulation of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) by poly-lactic acid (PLA) in nanoparticles for the treatment of Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. The nanoparticles showed reduced toxicity against cells and maintained antiparasitic activity. The physical characterization of the nanoparticles demonstrated a small size and negative zeta potential. The encapsulated DETC exhibited similar efficacy against T. cruzi as the free form.
Article
Immunology
Susana Portillo, Brenda G. Zepeda, Eva Iniguez, Janet J. Olivas, Nasim H. Karimi, Otacilio C. Moreira, Alexandre F. Marques, Katja Michael, Rosa A. Maldonado, Igor C. Almeida
Article
Immunology
Yagahira E. Castro-Sesquen, Freddy Tinajeros, Caryn Bern, Gerson Galdos-Cardenas, Edith S. Malaga, Edward Valencia Ayala, Kathryn Hjerrild, Steven J. Clipman, Andres G. Lescano, Tabitha Bayangos, Walter Castillo, Maria Carmen Menduina, Kawsar R. Talaat, Robert H. Gilman
Summary: The study evaluated the accuracy of using the Immunoglobulin M (IgM)-Shed Acute Phase Antigen (SAPA) test in the diagnosis of congenital Chagas disease (CChD) at birth and found its potential as an early diagnostic tool, especially in areas that rely only on microscopy for diagnosis.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Hannah E. Steinberg, Natalie M. Bowman, Andrea Diestra, Cusi Ferradas, Paul Russo, Daniel E. Clark, Deanna Zhu, Ruben Magni, Edith Malaga, Monica Diaz, Viviana Pinedo-Cancino, Cesar Ramal Asayag, Maritza Calderon, Vern B. Carruthers, Lance A. Liotta, Robert H. Gilman, Alessandra Luchini
Summary: This study presents a proof of concept for a novel urine-based diagnostic approach for toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) using Poly-N-isoproplyacrylamide nanoparticles. The technology concentrates T. gondii antigens in urine, improving the sensitivity for detection by western blot. GRA1 shows promise as a target for antigen-based diagnostics for TE.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Cristian Roca, Edith S. Malaga-Machaca, Manuela R. Verastegui, Billy Scola, Edward Valencia-Ayala, Maria del Carmen Menduina, Sassan Noazin, Natalie M. Bowman, Freddy Tinajeros, Robert H. Gilman
Summary: The study found that vertical transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi is associated with parasite presence in the blood and levels of IgG subclasses, which can identify women at increased risk for congenital transmission. These measures have the potential to serve as objective screening tests to predict the congenital transmission of Chagas disease.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Gisele Macedo Rodrigues da Cunha, Maira Araujo Azevedo, Denise Silva Nogueira, Marianna de Carvalho Climaco, Edward Valencia Ayala, Juan Atilio Jimenez Chunga, Raul Jesus Ynocente La Valle, Lucia Maria da Cunha Galvao, Egler Chiari, Carlos Ramon Nascimento Brito, Rodrigo Pedro Soares, Paula Monalisa Nogueira, Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara, Ricardo Gazzinelli, Robert Hincapie, Carlos-Sanhueza Chaves, Fabricio Marcus Silva Oliveira, M. G. Finn, Alexandre Ferreira Marques
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, lacks an approved vaccine and adequate treatment for chronic infection. This study demonstrates that a vaccine utilizing virus-like particles can induce beneficial effects, including immune responses against acute and chronic infection, controlling parasitemia, and reducing heart inflammation and parasite nests in heart tissue.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Pediatrics
Gabriela L. Calle-Pacheco, Juan A. Jimenez-Chunga, Dan E. Vivas-Ruiz
Summary: Amoebiasis, caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, is a major cause of mortality due to parasitosis. Traditional diagnostic methods are cost-effective but cannot differentiate infecting species. In recent years, molecular tests, such as PCR, have been developed to accurately identify the causal agent and determine the prevalence of infecting species. These techniques allow direct detection of the etiologic agent from samples, reducing diagnostic time. Multiplex platforms improve the accuracy and sensitivity of these techniques.
BOLETIN MEDICO DEL HOSPITAL INFANTIL DE MEXICO
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Carlos Alonso Flores, Juan Jimenez, Luis A. Gomez-Puerta, Claudia Palacios, Seth E. O'Neal, Claudio Muro, Armando E. Gonzalez, Robert H. Gilman, Maritza Calderon
Summary: The study revealed a 32% prevalence of T. gondii in free-range pigs in northern Peru, indicating a significant risk for transmission of the parasite to humans.
VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY- REGIONAL STUDIES AND REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Zelia Barbosa de Almeida Coelho, Luiza Carvalho Mourao, Beatriz Carolina Medeiros Rodrigues, Gustavo Pereira Cardoso-Oliveira, Robert Hincapie, Carlos Sanhueza-Chavez, M. G. Finn, Cor Jesus Fernandes Fontes, Alexandre Ferreira Marques, Erika Martins Braga
MEMORIAS DO INSTITUTO OSWALDO CRUZ
(2019)
Correction
Immunology
Livia Silva Araujo Passos, Luisa Mourao Dias Magalhaes, Rodrigo Pinto Soares, Alexandre F. Marques, Marina Luiza Rodrigues Alves, Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti, Maria do Carmo Pereira Nunes, Kenneth J. Gollob, Walderez Ornelas Dutra
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2019)
