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Effect of the Tc13Tul antigen from Trypanosoma cruzi on splenocytes from naïve mice. Parasitology 2020; 147:1114-1123. [PMID: 32466805 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182020000864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, releases factors, including antigens from the trans-sialidase (TS) superfamily, which modulate the host immune responses. Tc13 antigens belong to group IV of TSs and are characterized by C-terminal EPKSA repeats. Here, we studied the effect of the Tc13 antigen from the Tulahuén strain, Tc13Tul, on primary cultures of splenocytes from naïve BALB/c mice. Recombinant Tc13Tul increased the percentage of viable cells and induced B (CD19+) lymphocyte proliferation. Tc13Tul stimulation also induced secretion of non-specific IgM and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). The same effects were induced by Tc13Tul on splenocytes from naïve C3H/HeJ mice. In vivo administration of Tc13Tul to naïve BALB/c mice increased non-specific IgG in sera. In addition, in vitro cultured splenocytes from Tc13Tul-inoculated mice secreted a higher basal level of non-specific IgM than controls and the in vitro Tc13Tul stimulation of these cells showed an enhanced effect on IgM and IFN-γ secretion. Our results indicate that Tc13Tul may participate in the early immunity in T. cruzi infection by favouring immune system evasion through B-cell activation and non-specific Ig secretion. In contrast, as IFN-γ is an important factor involved in T. cruzi resistance, this may be considered a Tc13Tul effect in favour of the host.
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Floridia-Yapur N, Monje-Rumi M, Ragone P, Lauthier JJ, Tomasini N, Alberti D'Amato A, Diosque P, Cimino R, Gil JF, Sanchez DO, Nasser JR, Tekiel V. TcTASV Antigens of Trypanosoma cruzi: Utility for Diagnosis and High Accuracy as Biomarkers of Treatment Efficacy in Pediatric Patients. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020; 101:1135-1138. [PMID: 31516110 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery and characterization of novel parasite antigens to improve the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi by serological methods and for accurate and rapid follow-up of treatment efficiency are still needed. TcTASV is a T. cruzi-specific multigene family, whose products are expressed on the parasite stages present in the vertebrate host. In a previous work, a mix of antigens from subfamilies TcTASV-A and TcTASV-C (Mix A + C) was sensitive and specific to identify dogs with active infection of high epidemiological relevance. Here, TcTASV-A and TcTASV-C were assayed separately as well as together (Mix A + C) in an ELISA format on human samples. The Mix A + C presented moderate sensitivity (78%) but high diagnostic accuracy with a 100% of specificity, evaluated on healthy, leishmaniasic, and Strongyloides stercoralis infected patients. Moreover, antibody levels of pediatric patients showed-2 years posttreatment-diminished reactivity against the Mix A + C (P < 0.0001), pointing TcTASV antigens as promising tools for treatment follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Floridia-Yapur
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones de Enfermedades Tropicales (IIET), Sede Regional Orán, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Orán-Salta, Argentina
| | - Mercedes Monje-Rumi
- Instituto de Patología Experimental (IPE-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Paula Ragone
- Instituto de Patología Experimental (IPE-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Juan J Lauthier
- Instituto de Patología Experimental (IPE-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Nicolás Tomasini
- Instituto de Patología Experimental (IPE-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Anahí Alberti D'Amato
- Instituto de Patología Experimental (IPE-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Patricio Diosque
- Instituto de Patología Experimental (IPE-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Rubén Cimino
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones de Enfermedades Tropicales (IIET), Sede Regional Orán, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Orán-Salta, Argentina
| | - José F Gil
- Instituto de Investigaciones de Enfermedades Tropicales (IIET), Sede Regional Orán, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Orán-Salta, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones en Energía No Convencional (INENCO-CONICET), CCT-Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Daniel O Sanchez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde" (IIBIO), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, UNSAM-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julio R Nasser
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Valeria Tekiel
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde" (IIBIO), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, UNSAM-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Zrein M, Granjon E, Gueyffier L, Caillaudeau J, Liehl P, Pottel H, Cardoso CS, Oliveira CDL, de Oliveira LC, Lee TH, Ferreira AM, Ribeiro ALP, Busch MP, Sabino EC. A novel antibody surrogate biomarker to monitor parasite persistence in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006226. [PMID: 29425201 PMCID: PMC5823467 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, the causative agent of Chagas disease, infects about six million individuals in more than 20 countries. Monitoring parasite persistence in infected individuals is of utmost importance to develop and evaluate treatments to control the disease. Routine screening for infected human individuals is achieved by serological assays; PCR testing to monitor spontaneous or therapy-induced parasitological cure has limitations due to the low and fluctuating parasitic load in circulating blood. The aim of the present study is to evaluate a newly developed antibody profiling assay as an indirect method to assess parasite persistence based on waning of antibodies following spontaneous or therapy-induced clearance of the infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We designed a multiplex serology assay, an array of fifteen optimized T. cruzi antigens, to evaluate antibody diversity in 1654 serum samples from chronic Chagas patients. One specific antibody response (antibody 3, Ab3) showed a strong correlation with T. cruzi parasite persistence as determined by T. cruzi PCR positive results. High and sustained Ab3 signal was strongly associated with PCR positivity in untreated patients, whereas significant decline in Ab3 signals was observed in BZN-treated patients who cleared parasitemia based on blood PCR results. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE Ab3 is a new surrogate biomarker that strongly correlates with parasite persistence in chronic and benznidazole-treated Chagas patients. We hypothesize that Ab3 is induced and maintained by incessant stimulation of the immune system by tissue-based and shed parasites that are not consistently detectable by blood based PCR techniques. Hence, a simple immunoassay measurement of Ab3 could be beneficial for monitoring the infectious status of seropositive patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maan Zrein
- R&D, INFYNITY BIOMARKERS SAS, Lyon, France
| | | | | | | | | | - Hans Pottel
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Leuven (KULAK), Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Clareci Silva Cardoso
- Federal University of São João del-Rey, Research Group in Epidemiology and New Technologies in Health-campus CCO, São João del-Rei, Brazil
| | - Claudia Di Lorenzo Oliveira
- Federal University of São João del-Rey, Research Group in Epidemiology and New Technologies in Health-campus CCO, São João del-Rei, Brazil
| | - Lea Campos de Oliveira
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical e Faculdade de Medicina (FMUSP) da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratorio de Investigação Médica (LIM03), Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paolo, Brazil
| | - Tzong-Hae Lee
- Blood Systems Research Institute and University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Ariela Mota Ferreira
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Montes Claros (Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros), Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Antonio Luiz P. Ribeiro
- Hospital das Clínicas and School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Michael P. Busch
- Blood Systems Research Institute and University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Ester Cerdeira Sabino
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical e Faculdade de Medicina (FMUSP) da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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The Trypomastigote Small Surface Antigen from Trypanosoma cruzi Improves Treatment Evaluation and Diagnosis in Pediatric Chagas Disease. J Clin Microbiol 2017; 55:3444-3453. [PMID: 28978686 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01317-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi Assessment of parasitological cure upon treatment with available drugs relies on achieving consistent negative results in conventional parasitological and serological tests, which may take years to assess. Here, we evaluated the use of a recombinant T. cruzi antigen termed trypomastigote small surface antigen (TSSA) as an early serological marker of drug efficacy in T. cruzi-infected children. A cohort of 78 pediatric patients born to T. cruzi-infected mothers was included in this study. Only 39 of the children were infected with T. cruzi, and they were immediately treated with trypanocidal drugs. Serological responses against TSSA were evaluated in infected and noninfected populations during the follow-up period using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared to conventional serological methods. Anti-TSSA antibody titers decreased significantly faster than anti-whole parasite antibodies detected by conventional serology both in T. cruzi-infected patients undergoing effective treatment and in those not infected. The differential kinetics allowed a significant reduction in the required follow-up periods to evaluate therapeutic responses or to rule out maternal-fetal transmission. Finally, we present the case of a congenitally infected patient with an atypical course in whom TSSA provided an early marker for T. cruzi infection. In conclusion, we showed that TSSA was efficacious both for rapid assessment of treatment efficiency and for early negative diagnosis in infants at risk of congenital T. cruzi infection. Based upon these findings we propose the inclusion of TSSA for refining the posttherapeutic cure criterion and other diagnostic needs in pediatric Chagas disease.
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Performance Assessment of a Trypanosoma cruzi Chimeric Antigen in Multiplex Liquid Microarray Assays. J Clin Microbiol 2017; 55:2934-2945. [PMID: 28724556 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00851-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Diagnosing chronic Chagas disease (CD) requires antibody-antigen detection methods, which are traditionally based on enzymatic assay techniques whose performance depend on the type and quality of antigen used. Previously, 4 recombinant chimeric proteins from the Instituto de Biologia Molecular do Paraná (IBMP-8.1 to 8.4) comprising immuno-dominant regions of diverse Trypanosoma cruzi antigens showed excellent diagnostic performance in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Considering that next-generation platforms offer improved CD diagnostic accuracy with different T. cruzi-specific recombinant antigens, we assessed the performance of these chimeras in liquid microarrays (LMAs). The chimeric proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by chromatography. Sera from 653 chagasic and 680 healthy individuals were used to assess the performance of these chimeras in detecting specific anti-T. cruzi antibodies. Accuracies ranged from 98.1 to 99.3%, and diagnostic odds ratio values were 3,548 for IBMP-8.3, 4,826 for IBMP-8.1, 7,882 for IBMP-8.2, and 25,000 for IBMP-8.4. A separate sera bank (851 samples) was employed to assess cross-reactivity with other tropical diseases. Leishmania, a pathogen with high similarity to T. cruzi, showed cross-reactivity rates ranging from 0 to 2.17%. Inconclusive results were negligible (0 to 0.71%). Bland-Altman and Deming regression analysis based on 200 randomly selected CD-positive and negative samples demonstrated interchangeability with respect to CD diagnostic performance in both singleplex and multiplex assays. Our results suggested that these chimeras can potentially replace antigens currently used in commercially available assay kits. Moreover, the use of multiplex platforms, such as LMA assays employing 2 or more IBMP antigens, would abrogate the need for 2 different testing techniques when diagnosing CD.
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Santos FLN, Celedon PAF, Zanchin NIT, de Souza WV, da Silva ED, Foti L, Krieger MA, Gomes YDM. Accuracy of chimeric proteins in the serological diagnosis of chronic chagas disease - a Phase II study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005433. [PMID: 28273127 PMCID: PMC5358787 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The performance of current serologic tests for diagnosing chronic Chagas disease (CD) is highly variable. The search for new diagnostic markers has been a constant challenge for improving accuracy and reducing the number of inconclusive results. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here, four chimeric proteins (IBMP-8.1 to -8.4) comprising immunodominant regions of different Trypanosoma cruzi antigens were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The proteins were used to detect specific anti-T. cruzi antibodies in the sera of 857 chagasic and 689 non-chagasic individuals to evaluate their accuracy for chronic CD diagnosis. The antigens were recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by chromatographic methods. The sensitivity and specificity values ranged from 94.3% to 99.3% and 99.4% to 100%, respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) values were 6,462 for IBMP-8.1, 3,807 for IBMP-8.2, 32,095 for IBMP-8.3, and 283,714 for IBMP-8.4. These chimeric antigens presented DORs that were higher than the commercial test Pathozyme Chagas. The antigens IBMP-8.3 and -8.4 also showed DORs higher than the Gold ELISA Chagas test. Mixtures with equimolar concentrations were tested in order to improve the diagnosis accuracy of negative samples with high signal and positive samples with low signal. However, no gain in accuracy was observed relative to the individual antigens. A total of 1,079 additional sera were used to test cross-reactivity to unrelated diseases. The cross-reactivity rates ranged from 0.37% to 0.74% even for Leishmania spp., a pathogen showing relatively high genome sequence identity to T. cruzi. Imprecision analyses showed that IBMP chimeras are very stable and the results are highly reproducible. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings indicate that the IBMP-8.4 antigen can be safely used in serological tests for T. cruzi screening in blood banks and for chronic CD laboratory diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fred Luciano Neves Santos
- Aggeu Magalhães Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Chagas Disease Integrated Program, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | - Edimilson Domingos da Silva
- Chagas Disease Integrated Program, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Biomanguinhos, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Foti
- Molecular Biology Institute of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Marco Aurélio Krieger
- Chagas Disease Integrated Program, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Molecular Biology Institute of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Yara de Miranda Gomes
- Aggeu Magalhães Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Chagas Disease Integrated Program, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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