scholarly journals Galectins in Chagas Disease: A Missing Link Between Trypanosoma cruzi Infection, Inflammation, and Tissue Damage

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina V. Poncini ◽  
Alejandro F. Benatar ◽  
Karina A. Gomez ◽  
Gabriel A. Rabinovich
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Tissue Damage ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Parasite Invasion ◽  
Socioeconomic Consequences ◽  
Cruzi Infection

Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite causative agent of Chagas disease, affects about seven million people worldwide, representing a major global public health concern with relevant socioeconomic consequences, particularly in developing countries. In this review, we discuss the multiple roles of galectins, a family of β-galactoside-binding proteins, in modulating both T. cruzi infection and immunoregulation. Specifically, we focus on galectin-driven circuits that link parasite invasion and inflammation and reprogram innate and adaptive immune responses. Understanding the dynamics of galectins and their β-galactoside-specific ligands during the pathogenesis of T. cruzi infection and elucidating their roles in immunoregulation, inflammation, and tissue damage offer new rational opportunities for treating this devastating neglected disease.

scholarly journals Detection of parasite-derived transrenal DNA for the diagnosis of chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana G. Madrigal ◽  
Rachel Marcus ◽  
Robert Gilman ◽  
Alan L. Scott ◽  
Clive Shiff
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Chronic Phase ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Detection Approach ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
No Gold Standard ◽  
Antibody Tests ◽  
Cruzi Infection

AbstractChagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a potentially life-threatening infection endemic to Latin America that has emerged as a global public health issue due to globalization and emigration patterns. Diagnosis of T. cruzi infection is complex, especially for the chronic phase of the disease that is characterized by a low to moderate burden of the difficult to detect, tissue-dwelling, intracellular form of the parasite. Diagnosis relies on a multistep indirect serological detection approach that requires positive results in at least two independent anti-T. cruzi antibody tests. With no gold standard diagnostic method for chronic T. cruzi, new approaches are needed that can more directly test for the presence of the parasite. Here, we report on of the potential utility of a noninvasive diagnostic approach that specifically detects T. cruzi-derived cell-free repeat DNA in the urine of patients who are both serologically positive and negative.

Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Latin American pregnant women living outside endemic countries and frequency of congenital transmission: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Colombo ◽  
Andrea Giacomelli ◽  
Giovanni Casazza ◽  
Laura Galimberti ◽  
Cecilia Bonazzetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Transmission Rate ◽  
Congenital Infection ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Congenital Transmission ◽  
Global Rate ◽  
Cruzi Infection

Abstract Background Chagas disease, as a consequence of globalization and immigration, is no more restricted to Central and Latin America. Therefore, congenital transmission represents a growing public health concern in non-endemic countries. Methods The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in pregnant Latin American (LA) women living outside endemic countries and the rate of congenital transmission. Data were extracted from studies indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Lilacs and SciELO databases without language restriction. Two investigators independently collected data on study characteristics, diagnosis, prevalence of infection in pregnant women and congenital infection rate. The data were pooled using a random effects model. Results The search identified 1078 articles of which 29 were eligible regarding prevalence of T. cruzi infection among pregnant women and 1795 articles of which 32 were eligible regarding the congenital transmission rate. The estimated pooled prevalence of T. cruzi infection in LA pregnant women was 4.2% [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.0–5.5]. The prevalence of T. cruzi infection in pregnant women from Bolivia was 15.5% (95% CI: 11.7–19.7) and 0.5% (95% CI: 0.2–0.89) for those coming from all other LA countries. The estimated global rate of congenital transmission was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.5–4.5); excluding poor-quality studies, the rate of congenital transmission was 3.8% (95% CI: 2.4–5.1). Conclusions Prevalence of Chagas disease among LA pregnant women living outside endemic countries is high, particularly in Bolivian women. The rate of vertical transmission of T. cruzi infection is similar to the rate reported in South and Central American countries.

scholarly journals Unprecedented incidence of Trypanosoma cruzi infections in a cohort of dogs directly detected through longitudinal tracking at multi-dog kennels, Texas, USA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E Busselman ◽  
Alyssa C Meyers ◽  
Italo B Zecca ◽  
Lisa D Auckland ◽  
Andres H Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Vector Control ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Longitudinal Tracking ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Cruzi Infection ◽  
Over Time

Canine Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is increasingly recognized as a health concern for dogs in the USA, and infected dogs may signal geographic regions of risk for human disease. Dogs living in multi-dog kennel environments where triatomine vectors are endemic may be at high risk for infection. We monitored a cohort of 64 T. cruzi -infected and uninfected dogs from across 10 kennels in Texas, USA, to characterize changes in infection status over time. We used robust diagnostic criteria in which reactivity on multiple independent platforms was required to be considered positive. Among the 30 dogs enrolled as serologically- and/or PCR-positive, all but one dog showed sustained positive T. cruzi diagnostic results over time. Among the 34 dogs enrolled as serologically- and PCR-negative, 10 new T. cruzi infections were recorded over a 12-month period. The resulting incidence rate was 30.7 T. cruzi infections per 100 dogs per year. This study highlights the risk of T . cruzi infection to dogs in kennel environments, despite multiple vector control methods employed by kennel owners. To protect both dog and human health, there is an urgent need to develop more integrated vector control methods as well as prophylactic and curative antiparasitic treatment options for T. cruzi infection in dogs.

Dynamics of T Cells Repertoire During Trypanosoma cruzi Infection and its Post-Treatment Modulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (36) ◽  
pp. 6519-6543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Egui ◽  
Paola Lasso ◽  
Elena Pérez-Antón ◽  
M. Carmen Thomas ◽  
Manuel Carlos López
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Chronic Phase ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Chronic Patients ◽  
Cruzi Infection

Chagas disease courses with different clinical phases and has a variable clinical presentation and progression. The acute infection phase mostly exhibits a non-specific symptomatology. In the absence of treatment, the acute phase is followed by a chronic phase, which is initially asymptomatic. This chronic asymptomatic phase of the disease is characterized by a fragile balance between the host’s immune response and the parasite replication. The loss of this balance is crucial for the progression of the sickness. The virulence and tropism of the T. cruzi infecting strain together to the inflammation processes in the cardiac tissue are the main factors for the establishment and severity of the cardiomyopathy. The efficacy of treatment in chronic Chagas disease patients is controversial. However, several studies carried out in chronic patients demonstrated that antiparasitic treatment reduces parasite load in the bloodstream and leads to an improvement in the immune response against the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite. The present review is mainly focused on the cellular patterns associated to the clinical status and the evolution of the disease in chronic patients, as well as the effectiveness of the treatment related to T. cruzi infection control. Therefore, an emphasis is placed on the dynamics of specific-antigens T cell subpopulations, their memory and activation phenotypes, their functionality and their contribution to pathogenesis or disease control, as well as their association with risk of congenital transmission of the parasite.

Temperature, Mitochondria, and Reye's Syndrome

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 985-985
Author(s):  
RIF S. EL-MALLAKH
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Mitochondrial Enzyme ◽  
Reye's Syndrome ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Microscopic Studies ◽  
Mitochondrial Defect ◽  
Intracellular Protozoan Parasite

To the Editor.— Mitochondrial failure, manifest by changes in mitochondrial enzyme activity1-3 and morphology,4-5 is central to Reye's syndrome (RS).6 Although it has been variously hypothesized that the mitochondrial changes are secondary to an exogenous toxin,7-12 or an intrinsic mitochondrial defect,6 the actual cause remains obscure. Electron microscopic studies have shown sweelling and loss of cristate in mitochondria of patients with RS. It is interesting that very similar changes occur in Trypanosoma cruzi.13-16 T cruzi is an extracellular/intracellular protozoan parasite which causes Chagas' disease.17

Clinical profile of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a non-endemic setting: Immigration and Chagas disease in Barcelona (Spain)

Acta Tropica ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Muñoz ◽  
Jordi Gómez i Prat ◽  
Montserrat Gállego ◽  
Fausto Gimeno ◽  
Begoña Treviño ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Clinical Profile ◽  
Endemic Setting ◽  
Cruzi Infection
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