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Torres V, Contreras V, Gutiérrez B, San Francisco J, Catalán A, Vega JL, Moon KM, Foster LJ, de Almeida RF, Kalergis AM, González J. Oral infectivity through carnivorism in murine model of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1297099. [PMID: 38495650 PMCID: PMC10941204 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1297099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Oral transmission of T. cruzi is probably the most frequent transmission mechanism in wild animals. This observation led to the hypothesis that consuming raw or undercooked meat from animals infected with T. cruzi may be responsible for transmitting the infection. Therefore, the general objective of this study was to investigate host-pathogen interactions between the parasite and gastric mucosa and the role of meat consumption from infected animals in the oral transmission of T. cruzi. Methods Cell infectivity assays were performed on AGS cells in the presence or absence of mucin, and the roles of pepsin and acidic pH were determined. Moreover, groups of five female Balb/c mice were fed with muscle tissue obtained from mice in the acute phase of infection by the clone H510 C8C3hvir of T. cruzi, and the infection of the fed mice was monitored by a parasitemia curve. Similarly, we assessed the infective capacity of T. cruzi trypomastigotes and amastigotes by infecting groups of five mice Balb/c females, which were infected orally using a nasogastric probe, and the infection was monitored by a parasitemia curve. Finally, different trypomastigote and amastigote inoculums were used to determine their infective capacities. Adhesion assays of T. cruzi proteins to AGS stomach cells were performed, and the adhered proteins were detected by western blotting using monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies and by LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis. Results Trypomastigote migration in the presence of mucin was reduced by approximately 30%, whereas in the presence of mucin and pepsin at pH 3.5, only a small proportion of parasites were able to migrate (∼6%). Similarly, the ability of TCTs to infect AGS cells in the presence of mucin is reduced by approximately 20%. In all cases, 60-100% of the animals were fed meat from mice infected in the acute phase or infected with trypomastigotes or amastigotes developed high parasitemia, and 80% died around day 40 post-infection. The adhesion assay showed that cruzipain is a molecule of trypomastigotes and amastigotes that binds to AGS cells. LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis, also confirmed that transialidase, cysteine proteinases, and gp63 may be involved in TCTs attachment or invasion of human stomach cells because they can potentially interact with different proteins in the human stomach mucosa. In addition, several human gastric mucins have cysteine protease cleavage sites. Discussion Then, under our experimental conditions, consuming meat from infected animals in the acute phase allows the T. cruzi infection. Similarly, trypomastigotes and amastigotes could infect mice when administered orally, whereas cysteinyl proteinases and trans-sialidase appear to be relevant molecules in this infective process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Torres
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Medical Technology Department, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | | | - Bessy Gutiérrez
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Medical Technology Department, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Juan San Francisco
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Medical Technology Department, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Alejandro Catalán
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Medical Technology Department, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - José Luis Vega
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Kyung-Mee Moon
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Leonard J. Foster
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Rafael F. de Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Sistêmica de Tripanossomatídeos (Labtryp), Instituto Carlos Chagas Fiocruz (ICC-Fiocruz), Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Alexis M. Kalergis
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Endocrinología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jorge González
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Medical Technology Department, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Research Center in Immunology and Biomedical Biotechnology of Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
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Nogueira de Brito R, Tanner S, Runk JV, Hoyos J. Looking through the lens of social science approaches: A scoping review of leishmaniases and Chagas disease research. Acta Trop 2024; 249:107059. [PMID: 37918504 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Scholars have called for increased attention to sociocultural, economic, historical, and political processes shaping Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) ecology. We conducted a scoping review to identify major research themes and the knowledge gaps in social science literature in leishmaniases or Chagas disease (CD). Following the scoping review protocol, we first determined the focus of the review to be centered on identifying research that approaches leishmaniases and CD from social science perspective and was indexed by large, biomedically focused databases. We then searched PubMed and Web of Science using "Leishmaniasis" and "Chagas disease" with "social science" or "anthropology" as search terms. We analyzed 199 articles (123 on leishmaniases and 76 on CD), categorizing them into three main research themes. Sociocultural dimensions of the diseases (leishmaniases=60.2 %; CD=68.4 %) primarily focused on individuals' knowledge, practices, and behaviors, barriers to accessing healthcare (especially in endemic regions), psychosocial effects, stigma, and traditional treatments. Research focused on socioeconomic dimensions of the diseases (leishmaniases=29.3 %; CD=19.7 %) included topics like household characteristics, social capital, and infrastructure access. A final theme, the historical and political contexts of the diseases (Leishmaniases=10.5 %; CD=11.9 %) was less common than other themes. Here, studies consider civil war and the (re)emergence of leishmaniasis, as well as the significance of CD discovery for scientific and public health in Brazil, which is the most common country for research on both leishmaniases and CD that draws on social science approaches. Future directions for research include focusing on how social institutions and economic factors shape diseases education, control measures, healthcare access, and quality of life of people affected by NTDs. Greater attention to social sciences can help mitigate and undo the ways that structural biases have infiltrated biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raíssa Nogueira de Brito
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States; Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States.
| | - Susan Tanner
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States
| | - Julie Velásquez Runk
- Environment and Sustainability Studies Program, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109, United States; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ciudad de Panamá 0843-03092, Republic of Panama
| | - Juliana Hoyos
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States
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Reperant LA. Putative 14th Century Outbreak of Foodborne Chagas Disease, Mexico. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2023. [PMID: 37327016 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0092] [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: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
A severe epidemic erupted in Coyoacán at the southern end of Lake Texcoco, in Central Mexico, around 1330. Chroniclers of the 16th century reported that after disrupted fish supply, the inhabitants of Coyoacán had suffered high morbidity and mortality. They developed edema of their eyelids, face, and feet, and hemorrhagic diarrhea. Many died, mainly the young and the old. Pregnant women miscarried. The disease is classically considered an illness of nutritional origin. However, its clinical picture and the circumstances of its emergence are remarkably consistent with an outbreak of foodborne Chagas disease, possibly acquired upon the hunting and consumption of alternative food sources, such as infected opossums (Didelphis spp.), unique reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi.
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Couto-Silva CM, Nunes K, Venturini G, Araújo Castro e Silva M, Pereira LV, Comas D, Pereira A, Hünemeier T. Indigenous people from Amazon show genetic signatures of pathogen-driven selection. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabo0234. [PMID: 36888716 PMCID: PMC9995071 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo0234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Ecological conditions in the Amazon rainforests are historically favorable for the transmission of numerous tropical diseases, especially vector-borne diseases. The high diversity of pathogens likely contributes to the strong selective pressures for human survival and reproduction in this region. However, the genetic basis of human adaptation to this complex ecosystem remains unclear. This study investigates the possible footprints of genetic adaptation to the Amazon rainforest environment by analyzing the genomic data of 19 native populations. The results based on genomic and functional analysis showed an intense signal of natural selection in a set of genes related to Trypanosoma cruzi infection, which is the pathogen responsible for Chagas disease, a neglected tropical parasitic disease native to the Americas that is currently spreading worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cainã M. Couto-Silva
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508090, Brazil
| | - Kelly Nunes
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508090, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Venturini
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Laboratório de Genética e Cardiologia Molecular, Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcos Araújo Castro e Silva
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508090, Brazil
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Lygia V. Pereira
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508090, Brazil
| | - David Comas
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Alexandre Pereira
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Laboratório de Genética e Cardiologia Molecular, Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Tábita Hünemeier
- Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05508090, Brazil
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC/Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona 08003, Spain
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Deciphering Diets and Lifestyles of Prehistoric Humans through Paleoparasitology: A Review. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14020303. [PMID: 36833230 PMCID: PMC9957072 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasites have affected and coevolved with humans and animals throughout history. Evidence of ancient parasitic infections, particularly, reside in archeological remains originating from different sources dating to various periods of times. The study of ancient parasites preserved in archaeological remains is known as paleoparasitology, and it initially intended to interpret migration, evolution, and dispersion patterns of ancient parasites, along with their hosts. Recently, paleoparasitology has been used to better understand dietary habits and lifestyles of ancient human societies. Paleoparasitology is increasingly being recognized as an interdisciplinary field within paleopathology that integrates areas such as palynology, archaeobotany, and zooarchaeology. Paleoparasitology also incorporates techniques such as microscopy, immunoassays, PCR, targeted sequencing, and more recently, high-throughput sequencing or shotgun metagenomics to understand ancient parasitic infections and thus interpret migration and evolution patterns, as well as dietary habits and lifestyles. The present review covers the original theories developed in the field of paleoparasitology, as well as the biology of some parasites identified in pre-Columbian cultures. Conclusions, as well as assumptions made during the discovery of the parasites in ancient samples, and how their identification may aid in better understanding part of human history, ancient diet, and lifestyles are discussed.
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Stefano T, Francesca M, Guendalina G, Michele B, Chiara F, Salvatore A, Riccardo Z. Utility and diagnostic value of postmortem microbiology associated with histology for forensic purposes. Forensic Sci Int 2023; 342:111534. [PMID: 36528011 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, the diagnostic value of postmortem microbiological investigations is still a debated topic, but postmortem microbiology (PMM) remains a discipline with great forensic potential. To evaluate the usefulness and diagnostic-forensic value of postmortem microbiological cultures, it has been conducted a study on cadaveric material sampled during autopsy aiming to identify the correct cause of death. The study analyzed 45 cadavers subjected to judicial autopsy, divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of external or internal macroscopic autopsy signs suggesting infectious pathology. In the same cases, both the microbiological and conventional histological investigations have been simultaneously carried out. From the investigations, mono-bacterial, mono-fungal, mixed and negative cultures were observed. In mono-species microbiological growth, the histological epicrisis confirmed an infectious cause of death due to the presence of signs of acute infection with an aggressive infectious agent. In cases where growth was mixed, it was possible to distinguish between simple postmortal contamination and perimortem colonization. Finally, in some cases where the microbiology was negative, this has been essential in highlighting signs of a vital reaction to viral or parasitic infection. The joint and integrated evaluation of the laboratory results made it possible to correctly understand even those peculiar situations in which the PMM results alone would not have been significant. These methods, when combined, constitute an optimal forensic approach for the identification of the real cause of death and thus reduce the number of unsolved cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tambuzzi Stefano
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute - Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli, 37, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Maciocco Francesca
- Laboratorio di Immunoematologia e Medicina Trasfusionale (SIMT) - Azienda Ospedaliera S. Carlo Borromeo, Via Pio II, 3, 20153 Milano, Italy
| | - Gentile Guendalina
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute - Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli, 37, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| | - Boracchi Michele
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute - Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli, 37, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Faraone Chiara
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute - Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli, 37, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Andreola Salvatore
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute - Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli, 37, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Zoja Riccardo
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute - Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli, 37, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Singh A, Malhotra D, Singh K, Chadha R, Bedi PMS. Thiazole derivatives in medicinal chemistry: Recent advancements in synthetic strategies, structure activity relationship and pharmacological outcomes. J Mol Struct 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2022.133479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Jones KM, Poveda C, Versteeg L, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ. Preclinical advances and the immunophysiology of a new therapeutic chagas disease vaccine. Expert Rev Vaccines 2022; 21:1185-1203. [PMID: 35735065 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2022.2093721] [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: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chronic infection with the protozoal parasite Trypanosoma cruzi leads to a progressive cardiac disease, known as chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC). A new therapeutic Chagas disease vaccine is in development to augment existing antiparasitic chemotherapy drugs. AREAS COVERED We report on our current understanding of the underlying immunologic and physiologic mechanisms that lead to CCC, including parasite immune escape mechanisms that allow persistence and the subsequent inflammatory and fibrotic processes that lead to clinical disease. We report on vaccine design and the observed immunotherapeutic effects including induction of a balanced TH1/TH2/TH17 immune response that leads to reduced parasite burdens and tissue pathology. Further, we report vaccine-linked chemotherapy, a dose sparing strategy to further reduce parasite burdens and tissue pathology. EXPERT OPINION Our vaccine-linked chemotherapeutic approach is a multimodal treatment strategy, addressing both the parasite persistence and the underlying deleterious host inflammatory and fibrotic responses that lead to cardiac dysfunction. In targeting treatment towards patients with chronic indeterminate or early determinate Chagas disease, this vaccine-linked chemotherapeutic approach will be highly economical and will reduce the global disease burden and deaths due to CCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M Jones
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Cristina Poveda
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Leroy Versteeg
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Cell Biology and Immunology Group, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
| | - Peter J Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America.,James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America.,Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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de Lima Pereira Dos Santos C, Vacani-Martins N, Cascabulho CM, Pereira MCDS, Crispe IN, Henriques-Pons A. In the Acute Phase of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection, Liver Lymphoid and Myeloid Cells Display an Ambiguous Phenotype Combining Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Markers. Front Immunol 2022; 13:868574. [PMID: 35720410 PMCID: PMC9204308 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.868574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple cell populations, cellular biochemical pathways, and the autonomic nervous system contribute to maintaining the immunological tolerance in the liver. This tolerance is coherent because the organ is exposed to high levels of bacterial pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) molecules from the intestinal microbiota, such as lipopolysaccharide endotoxin (LPS). In the case of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, although there is a dramatic acute immune response in the liver, we observed intrahepatic cell populations combining pro- and anti-inflammatory markers. There was loss of fully mature Kupffer cells and an increase in other myeloid cells, which are likely to include monocytes. Among dendritic cells (DCs), the cDC1 population expanded relative to the others, and these cells lost both some macrophage markers (F4/80) and immunosuppressive cytokines (IL-10, TGF-β1). In parallel, a massive T cell response occured with loss of naïve cells and increase in several post-activation subsets. However, these activated T cells expressed both markers programmed cell death protein (PD-1) and cytokines consistent with immunosuppressive function (IL-10, TGF-β1). NK and NK-T cells broadly followed the pattern of T cell activation, while TCR-γδ cells appeared to be bystanders. While no data were obtained concerning IL-2, several cell populations also synthesized IFN-γ and TNF-α, which has been linked to host defense but also to tissue injury. It therefore appears that T. cruzi exerts control over liver immunity, causing T cell activation via cDC1 but subverting multiple populations of T cells into immunosuppressive pathways. In this way, T. cruzi engages a mechanism of hepatic T cell tolerance that is familiar from liver allograft tolerance, in which activation and proliferation are followed by T cell inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalia Vacani-Martins
- Laboratório de Inovaçõeses em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Cynthia Machado Cascabulho
- Laboratório de Inovaçõeses em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Ian Nicholas Crispe
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Andrea Henriques-Pons
- Laboratório de Inovaçõeses em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Gálvez RI, Jacobs T. Exhausted PD-1+ TOX+ CD8+ T Cells Arise Only in Long-Term Experimental Trypanosoma cruzi Infection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:866179. [PMID: 35720419 PMCID: PMC9203896 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.866179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi remains the most important neglected zoonosis in Latin America. This infection does not lead to specific symptoms in the acute phase, but chronic infection can result in Chagas disease (CD) with cardiac and/or gastrointestinal manifestations that can lead to death. CD8+ T cells are highly effective and essential to control this infection, but fail to eliminate all parasites. In this study, we show that the CD8+ T cells are modulated by the transient induction of co-inhibitory receptors during acute infection of C57BL/6 mice. Therapeutic intervention strategies with blocking antibodies only had a marginal effect on the elimination of parasite reservoirs. Only long-term chronic infection gave rise to dysfunctional CD8+ T cells, which were characterized by high expression of the inhibitory receptor PD-1 and the co-expression of the transcription factor TOX, which plays a crucial role in the maintenance of the exhausted phenotype. PD-1+ TOX+ CD8+ T cells isolated from the site of infection produced significantly less IFN-γ, TNF-α and Granzyme B than their PD-1- TOX- CD8+ T cell counterparts after T. cruzi-specific stimulation ex vivo. Taken together, we provide evidence that, in the context of experimental infection of mice, the magnitude of the CD8+ T cell response in the acute phase is sufficient for parasite control and cannot be further increased by targeting co-inhibitory receptors. In contrast, persistent long-term chronic infection leads to an increase of exhausted T cells within the tissues of persistence. To our knowledge, this is the first description of infection-induced CD8+ T cells with an exhausted phenotype and reduced cytokine production in muscles of T. cruzi-infected mice.
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Trypanosoma cruzi, beyond the dogma of non-infection in birds. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 99:105239. [PMID: 35144004 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite responsible for Chagas disease affecting seven million people. The disease cycle is maintained between Triatominae insects and Mammalia hosts; a refractory effect against infection was noted in birds, but only verified in poultry. This paper presents a new host record for T. cruzi, the American barn-owl (Tyto furcata). Trypanosoma cruzi DTU II molecular evidence was found in heart, intestine, liver, and breast suggesting an established chronic infection based on the parasite DNA presence in multiple organs but absent in spleen, as in the murine model and chronically infected raccoons (Procyon lotor). For birds, the parasite rejection was explained based on the complement and high body temperature, but these mechanisms vary greatly among the members of the avian class. Therefore, there is a need to investigate whether more bird species can become infected, and if T. furcata has a role in disseminating, transmitting and/or maintaining the parasite.
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Pathogen diversity, immunity, and the fate of infections: lessons learned from Trypanosoma cruzi human–host interactions. THE LANCET MICROBE 2022; 3:e711-e722. [DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(21)00265-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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Oh CS, Seo M, Lee HJ, Kim MJ, Lim DS, Shin DH. Genetic Analysis of Ancient Clonorchis sinensis Eggs Attained from Goryeong Mummy of Joseon Dynasty Period. J Parasitol 2022; 108:70-78. [DOI: 10.1645/21-49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chang Seok Oh
- Department of Mortuary Science, College of Bio-convergence, Eulji University, 553, Sanseong-daero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13135, Korea
| | - Min Seo
- Department of Parasitology, Dankook University College of Medicine, 119, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do 31116, Korea
| | - Hye Jin Lee
- Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification, 250, Hyeonchung-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06984, Korea
| | - Myeung Ju Kim
- Department of Anatomy, Dankook University College of Medicine, 119, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do 31116, Korea
| | - Do-Seon Lim
- Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Science, Eulji University, 553, Sanseong-daero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13135, Korea
| | - Dong Hoon Shin
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103, Daehak-ro, Chongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea
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Poncini CV, Benatar AF, Gomez KA, Rabinovich GA. Galectins in Chagas Disease: A Missing Link Between Trypanosoma cruzi Infection, Inflammation, and Tissue Damage. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:794765. [PMID: 35046919 PMCID: PMC8762303 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.794765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina V. Poncini
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Celular e Inmunopatología de Infecciones, Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Medica, Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandro F. Benatar
- Servicio de Citometría de Flujo, Instituto de Medicina Experimental (IMEX), Academia Nacional de Medicina, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Karina A. Gomez
- Laboratorio de Biología e Inmunología de las Infecciones por Tripanosomátidos, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel A. Rabinovich
- Laboratorio de Glicomedicina, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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15
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Zingales B, Bartholomeu DC. Trypanosoma cruzi genetic diversity: impact on transmission cycles and Chagas disease. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2022; 117:e210193. [PMID: 35544857 PMCID: PMC9088421 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760210193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease (ChD), exhibits remarkable biological and genetic diversity, along with eco-epidemiological complexity. In order to facilitate communication among researchers aiming at the characterisation of biological and epidemiological aspects of T. cruzi, parasite isolates and strains were partitioned into seven discrete typing units (DTUs), TcI-TcVI and TcBat, identifiable by reproducible genotyping protocols. Here we present the potential origin of the genetic diversity of T. cruzi and summarise knowledge about eco-epidemiological associations of DTUs with mammalian reservoirs and vectors. Circumstantial evidence of a connection between T. cruzi genotype and ChD manifestations is also discussed emphasising the role of the host’s immune response in clinical ChD progression. We describe genomic aspects of DTUs focusing on polymorphisms in multigene families encoding surface antigens that play essential functions for parasite survival both in the insect vector and the mammalian host. Such antigens most probably contributed to the parasite success in establishing infections in different hosts and exploring several niches. Gaps in the current knowledge and challenges for future research are pointed out.
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Macedo AM, Pena SDJ. Peeking into the mysterious world of Trypanosoma cruzi and Chagas disease. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2022; 117:e210193chgsa. [PMID: 35544858 PMCID: PMC9088419 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760210193chgsa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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17
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Sabbatani S, Fiorino S, Manfredi R. Figurative aspects suggestive of infectious diseases in the ceramic pots of the pre-Columbian Moche culture. Analysis of the ceramics collection in the Larco Museum of Lima, Peru. LE INFEZIONI IN MEDICINA 2021; 29:633-642. [PMID: 35146375 PMCID: PMC8805469 DOI: 10.53854/liim-2904-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The historical-medical and anthropological studies, regarding Mesoamerica and South America, have been mainly focused on the great empires (Inca, Atzec, Maya), while other civilizations have been less investigated and only recently are gaining interest. In general, the paleopathological research provides interesting data to know the type of nutrition and the general environmental conditions as well as to point out some ritual mutilation practices, which were relatively frequent in the pre-Columbian cultures. A lot of civilizations flourished in the South America before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores in the new world. In the last years it is progressively increasing the interest for the study of the Moche culture as well as for a deeper knowledge of pathocenosis of infectious diseases in the Moche society. Human infectious diseases are known to have a frequent animal origin, in particular from domesticated species, although the species domesticated in the pre-Columbian era were a small number. The purpose of our paper has been to examine the archeological findings suggestive of infectious diseases in artistic ceramic pots, dating back to the Moche period. We examined the iconography of ceramic pots belonging to the collection of the Larco Museum in Lima and reproducing body signs suggestive of infectious diseases. We identified 8 handworks with very interesting features by a medical point of view. In these handworks there are signs and lesions possibly associated with infectious diseases: risus sardonicus, orbital edema, facial nerve palsy, dorsal kyphosis, face and skin lesions. These features are compatible with some infectious diseases, including: syphilis, Bartonella bacilliformis, leishmaniasis, Pott's disease and Chagas disease. A wide discussion about these handworks is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sirio Fiorino
- Unità Operativa di Medicina Interna, Ospedale di Budrio, Azienda USL di Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Manfredi
- Istituto di Malattie Infettive, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Italy
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18
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Casares-Marfil D, Guillen-Guio B, Lorenzo-Salazar JM, Rodríguez-Pérez H, Kerick M, Jaimes-Campos MA, Díaz ML, Estupiñán E, Echeverría LE, González CI, Martin J, Flores C, Acosta-Herrera M. Admixture mapping analysis reveals differential genetic ancestry associated with Chagas disease susceptibility in the Colombian population. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:2503-2512. [PMID: 34302177 PMCID: PMC8643504 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is an infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, endemic in Latino America. Leveraging the three-way admixture between Native American (AMR), European (EUR) and African (AFR) populations in Latin Americans, we aimed to better understand the genetic basis of Chagas disease by performing an admixture mapping study in a Colombian population. A two-stage study was conducted, and subjects were classified as seropositive and seronegative for T. cruzi. In stage 1, global and local ancestries were estimated using reference data from the 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) and local ancestry associations were performed by logistic regression models. The AMR ancestry showed a protective association with Chagas disease within the Major Histocompatibility Complex region (OR = 0.74, 95%CI = 0.66-0.83, lowest p-value = 4.53x10-8). The fine mapping assessment on imputed genotypes combining data from stage 1 and 2 from an independent Colombian cohort, revealed nominally associated variants in high linkage disequilibrium with the top signal (rs2032134, OR = 0.93, 95%CI = 0.90-0.97, p-value = 3.54x10-4) in the previously associated locus. To assess ancestry-specific adaptive signals, a selective sweep scan in an AMR reference population from 1KGP together with an in silico functional analysis highlighted the Tripartite Motif family and the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes, with crucial role in the immune response against pathogens. Furthermore, these analyses emphasized the macrophages, neutrophils, and eosinophils, as key players in the defense against T. cruzi. This first admixture mapping study in Chagas disease provided novel insights underlying the host immune response in the pathogenesis of this neglected disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beatriz Guillen-Guio
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Jose M Lorenzo-Salazar
- Genomics Division, Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Héctor Rodríguez-Pérez
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Martin Kerick
- Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine López-Neyra, CSIC, Granada, Spain
| | - Mayra A Jaimes-Campos
- Grupo de Inmunología y Epidemiología Molecular, Escuela de Microbiología, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - Martha L Díaz
- Grupo de Inmunología y Epidemiología Molecular, Escuela de Microbiología, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - Elkyn Estupiñán
- Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine López-Neyra, CSIC, Granada, Spain.,Grupo de Inmunología y Epidemiología Molecular, Escuela de Microbiología, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - Luis E Echeverría
- Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Clinic, Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia, Floridablanca, Colombia
| | - Clara I González
- Grupo de Inmunología y Epidemiología Molecular, Escuela de Microbiología, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - Javier Martin
- Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine López-Neyra, CSIC, Granada, Spain
| | - Carlos Flores
- Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.,Genomics Division, Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Yasuo N, Ishida T, Sekijima M. Computer aided drug discovery review for infectious diseases with case study of anti-Chagas project. Parasitol Int 2021; 83:102366. [PMID: 33915269 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are parasitic and bacterial infections that are widespread, especially in the tropics, and cause health problems for about one billion people over 149 countries worldwide. However, in terms of therapeutic agents, for example, nifurtimox and benznidazole were developed in the 1960s to treat Chagas disease, but new drugs are desirable because of their side effects. Drug discovery takes 12 to 14 years and costs $2.6 billon dollars, and hence, computer aided drug discovery (CADD) technology is expected to reduce the time and cost. This paper describes our methods and results based on CADD, mainly for NTDs. An overview of databases, molecular simulation and pharmacophore modeling, contest-based drug discovery, and machine learning and their results are presented herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuaki Yasuo
- Academy for Convergence of Materials and Informatics (TAC-MI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, S6-23, 2-12-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Takashi Ishida
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, W8-85, 2-12-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Masakazu Sekijima
- Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259-J3-23, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8501, Japan.
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20
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Salm A, Krishnan SR, Collu M, Danton O, Hamburger M, Leonti M, Almanza G, Gertsch J. Phylobioactive hotspots in plant resources used to treat Chagas disease. iScience 2021; 24:102310. [PMID: 33870129 PMCID: PMC8040286 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, more than six million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative protozoan parasite of the vector-borne Chagas disease (CD). We conducted a cross-sectional ethnopharmacological field study in Bolivia among different ethnic groups where CD is hyperendemic. A total of 775 extracts of botanical drugs used in Bolivia in the context of CD and botanical drugs from unrelated indications from the Mediterranean De Materia Medica compiled by Dioscorides two thousand years ago were profiled in a multidimensional assay uncovering different antichagasic natural product classes. Intriguingly, the phylobioactive anthraquinone hotspot matched the antichagasic activity of Senna chloroclada, the taxon with the strongest ethnomedical consensus for treating CD among the Izoceño-Guaraní. Testing common 9,10-anthracenedione derivatives in T. cruzi cellular infection assays demarcates hydroxyanthraquinone as a potential antichagasic lead scaffold. Our study systematically uncovers in vitro antichagasic phylogenetic hotspots in the plant kingdom as a potential resource for drug discovery based on ethnopharmacological hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Salm
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sandhya R. Krishnan
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marta Collu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Ombeline Danton
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Hamburger
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marco Leonti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Almanza
- Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andres, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Jürg Gertsch
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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21
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Measurement of multiple cytokines for discrimination and risk stratification in patients with Chagas' disease and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0008906. [PMID: 33755669 PMCID: PMC7987183 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas' disease (CD), caused by the hemoflagellate protozoan, Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in most countries of Latin America. Heart failure (HF) is often a late manifestation of chronic CD, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Inflammatory processes mediated by cytokines play a key role in the pathogenesis and progression of CD. Keeping in view the inflammatory nature of CD, this study investigated the possible role of 21 different inflammatory cytokines as biomarkers for prediction and prognosis of CD. The plasma concentration of these cytokines was measured in a group of patients with CD (n = 94), and then compared with those measured in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) from idiopathic causes (n = 48), and with control subjects (n = 25). Monovariately, plasma levels of cytokines such as stem cell growth factor beta (SCGF beta), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), monokine induced by interferon gamma (CXCL9), and macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) were significantly increased in CD patients with advanced HF compared to control group. None of the cytokines could demonstrate any prognostic potency in CD patients, and only MIF and stromal derived factor-1 alpha (CXCL12) showed significance in predicting mortality and necessity for heart transplant in DCM patients. However, multivariate analysis prognosticated a large proportion of CD and DCM patients. In CD patients, HGF and Interleukin-12p40 (IL-12p40) together separated 81.9% of 3-year survivors from the deceased, while in DCM patients, CXCL12, stem cell factor (SCF), and CXCL9 together discriminated 77.1% of survivors from the deceased. The significant increase in plasma concentrations of cytokines such as HGF and CXCL9 in CD patients, and the ability of these cytokines to prognosticate a large proportion of CD and DCM patients multivariately, encourages further studies to clarify the diagnostic and prognostic potential of cytokines in such patients.
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22
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Echalar JC, Veliz D, Urquizo ON, Niemeyer HM, Pinto CF. Age-related anomalies of electrocardiograms in patients from areas with differential Seroprevalence of Chagas disease in Southern Bolivia. Parasite Epidemiol Control 2021; 13:e00204. [PMID: 33665387 PMCID: PMC7905461 DOI: 10.1016/j.parepi.2021.e00204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Chagas disease currently affects some 6 million people around the world. At the chronic stage, cardiomyopathy occurs in about 20–30% of infested people. Most prevalence studies have focused on young to adult people due to the drastic consequences of acquiring the pathogen and the possibility to cure the disease at this age; the prevalence of this disease, the effect of patients' sex and the consequences to senescent people have been largely neglected. This study looks to characterize the seroprevalence of Chagas disease and its relation with occurrence of electrocardiographic anomalies associated with sex and age, and to compare rural and urban populations in Bolivia. Methodology Seroprevalence of Chagas disease was determined in blood samples and electrocardiograms were performed on seropositive individuals. Results The rural population showed higher seroprevalence than the urban population (92% and 40%, respectively). The proportion of Chagasic cardiac anomalies in seropositive persons was highest in patients of the 50–59 age group (36%) as compared with the 40–49 (8%) and the ≥60 (17%) age groups. Conclusions Higher seroprevalence in rural population was attributable to a higher probability to encounter the vector in rural areas. Increased exposure to infection and to development of the disease symptoms together with increased lethality of the disease as patients age explains the age-related Chagasic electrocardiographic anomalies. Since rural and urban populations showed different reactions under Chagas disease and the rural population was mainly of guaraní stock, the genetic and environmental determinants of the results should be further explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhean-Carla Echalar
- Universidad Mayor Real Y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca, Junin esq. Estudiantes # 692, Sucre, Bolivia
| | - David Veliz
- Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Santiago, Chile
- Núcleo Milenio de Ecología y Manejo Sustentable de Islas Oceánicas (ESMOI), Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Omar N. Urquizo
- Universidad Mayor Real Y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca, Junin esq. Estudiantes # 692, Sucre, Bolivia
| | - Hermann M. Niemeyer
- Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos F. Pinto
- Universidad Mayor Real Y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca, Junin esq. Estudiantes # 692, Sucre, Bolivia
- Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Santiago, Chile
- Corresponding author at: Universidad Mayor Real Y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca, Junin esq. Estudiantes # 692, Sucre, Bolivia
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23
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Kévin R, Nicolas C, Elsa P, Paolo L, Pasquino P, Raffaella B, Matthieu LB. Gastrointestinal parasite burden in 4th-5th c. CE Florence highlighted by microscopy and paleogenetics. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 90:104713. [PMID: 33429070 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The study of ancient parasites, named paleoparasitology, traditionally focused on microscopic eggs disseminated in past environments and archaeological structures by humans and other animals infested by gastrointestinal parasites. Since the development of paleogenetics in the early 1980s, few paleoparasitological studies have been based on the ancient DNA (aDNA) of parasites, although such studies have clearly proven their utility and reliability. In this paper, we describe our integrative approach for the paleoparasitological study of an ancient population from Florence in Italy, dated to the 4th-5th c. CE. The first stage consisted in the study of sediment samples from the pelvic area of 18 individuals under light microscopy. This allowed us to detect Ascarid-type eggs belonging very probably to the human-infesting roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. Ten subsamples were selected corresponding to five individuals, and we extracted their whole DNA following sediment aDNA protocols. A targeted approach allowed us to detect two nematodes and one trematode aDNA fragments, namely Ascaris sp., Trichuris trichiura, and Dicrocoelium dendriticum. Among the five individuals tested for microscopic eggs and aDNA, three of them showed the remains of eggs (only Ascarid-type), but all of them tested positive to the presence of at least one parasite aDNA. Microscopic diagnosis first guided our research for the selection of promising samples while the targeted aDNA approach significantly improved our knowledge in terms of parasitic diversity and frequency in this population subgroup. These results enabled us to discuss the possible impact of latent parasitism in this past population at the time of an epidemic, as suggested in Florence. In particular, the singular case of D. dendriticum detection is discussed in light of the present-day scarcity of genuine human infections. Nevertheless, actual infections are known in the paleoparasitological record, and food habits may have led to false parasitism in this historical context. aDNA leaching from overlying strata may also explain this detection. This study strongly pleads for a systematic integrative approach combining microscopy and aDNA in paleoparasitology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roche Kévin
- Université Bordeaux Montaigne, CNRS UMR 5607 Ausonius, France; Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, France.
| | - Capelli Nicolas
- Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, France
| | - Pacciani Elsa
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Firenze, Pistoia and Prato, Italy
| | | | - Pallecchi Pasquino
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Firenze, Pistoia and Prato, Italy
| | - Bianucci Raffaella
- Legal Medicine Section, Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, University of Turin, Italy; Warwick Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, United Kingdom; ADES (UMR 7268), Laboratoire d'Anthropologie bio-culturelle, Droit, Ethique & Santé (Adés), Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, France
| | - Le Bailly Matthieu
- Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environnement, France.
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Chatelain E, Scandale I. Animal models of Chagas disease and their translational value to drug development. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 15:1381-1402. [PMID: 32812830 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2020.1806233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION American trypanosomiasis, better known as Chagas disease, is a global public health issue. Current treatments targeting the causative parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, are limited to two old nitroheterocyclic compounds; new, safer drugs are needed. New tools to identify compounds suitable for parasitological cure in humans have emerged through efforts in drug discovery. AREAS COVERED Animal disease models are an integral part of the drug discovery process. There are numerous experimental models of Chagas disease described and in use; rather than going through each of these and their specific features, the authors focus on developments in recent years, in particular the imaging technologies that have dramatically changed the Chagas R&D landscape, and provide a critical view on their value and limitations for moving compounds forward into further development. EXPERT OPINION The application of new technological advances to the field of drug development for Chagas disease has led to the implementation of new and robust/standardized in vivo models that contributed to a better understanding of host/parasite interactions. These new models should also build confidence in their translational value for moving compounds forward into clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Chatelain
- R&D Department, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) , Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ivan Scandale
- R&D Department, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) , Geneva, Switzerland
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25
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Nystrom KC. Advances in paleopathology in context: A focus on soft tissue paleopathology. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 29:16-23. [PMID: 31481317 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Skeletal and mummified remains from South America have had a significant impact on the progress of paleopathological research. In 1997, John Verano synthesized the state of paleopathological research, identifying trends and highlighting future potentials. The goal of this contribution is to consider Verano's observations on advances in soft tissue paleopathology within the context of the development of the field of mummy studies. As his article was published near the midpoint between the present and the early 1970s, when the modern form of mummy studies began to form, considering his observations in this context allows researchers the opportunity to consider how the field has progressed since the late 1990s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth C Nystrom
- Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA.
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Nelson EA, Buikstra JE, Herbig A, Tung TA, Bos KI. Advances in the molecular detection of tuberculosis in pre-contact Andean South America. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 29:128-140. [PMID: 31964606 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Andean paleopathological research has significantly enhanced knowledge about the geographical distribution and evolution of tuberculosis (TB) in pre-Columbian South America. In this paper, we review the history and progress of research on ancient tuberculosis (TB) in the Andean region, focusing on the strengths and limitations of current approaches for the molecular detection of ancient pathogens, with special attention to TB. As a case study, we describe a molecular screening approach for the detection of ancient Mycobacterium tuberculosis in individuals from Late Intermediate Period (1000-1400 CE) contexts at the site of Huari, Peru. We evaluate 34 commingled human vertebrae and combine morphological assessments of pathology with high throughput sequencing and a non-selective approach to ancient pathogen DNA screening. Our method enabled the simultaneous detection of ancient M. tuberculosis DNA and an evaluation of the environmental microbial composition of each sample. Our results show that despite the dominance of environmental DNA, molecular signatures of M. tuberculosis were identified in eight vertebrae, six of which had no observable skeletal pathology classically associated tuberculosis infection. This screening approach will assist in the identification of candidate samples for downstream genomic analyses. The method permits higher resolution disease identification in cases where pathology may be absent, or where the archaeological context may necessitate a broad differential diagnosis based on morphology alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Nelson
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Jane E Buikstra
- Center for Bioarchaeological Research, Arizona State University, 1151 S. Forest Ave., Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA.
| | - Alexander Herbig
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Tiffiny A Tung
- Department of Anthropology, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B #356050, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
| | - Kirsten I Bos
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany.
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Toyne JM, Murphy MS, Klaus HD. An introduction to advances in Andean South American paleopathology. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 29:1-15. [PMID: 32334998 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In the 20 years since the publication of John Verano's foundational paper "Advances in Paleopathology of Andean South America," paleopathological and bioarchaeological investigations of human skeletal remains in the region have increased dramatically. Today, primary foci have grown to span the identification of disease, detailed reconstructions of biocultural interactions, embodied social experiences, and ancient living worlds. In this special issue, more than a dozen scholars reflect on the state of developments in the scientific analyses of ancient disease, life, and society across the region. For this introductory article, we frame the current state of Andean paleopathology by reviewing key historical contributions beginning in the last century. More recent trends since 1997 are defined via a meta-analysis of the literature. We then highlight current innovations and consider future directions of study. We then close with an overview of the papers comprising this special issue. Each article explores major theoretical, topical, and methodological advances that have transpired since 1997 and charts the course for the next two decades of work - with implications and insights that transcend the Andes and speak to key paleopathological issues around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Marla Toyne
- Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL, 32803-1631, United States.
| | - Melissa S Murphy
- Anthropology Department, 12th and Lewis Streets, Laramie, WY, 82071, United States.
| | - Haagen D Klaus
- Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, Robinson Hall B Room 305, 4400 University Dr., Mailcode 3G5, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, United States.
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Rojo G, Pèlissier F, Sandoval-Rodriguez A, Bacigalupo A, García V, Pinto R, Ortiz S, Botto-Mahan C, Cattan PE, Solari A. Organs infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and DTU identification in the naturally infected rodent Octodon degus. Exp Parasitol 2020; 215:107931. [PMID: 32464222 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2020.107931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease is a public health problem in America. Its parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, presents different discrete typing units (DTUs), colonizes organs of mammalian hosts in chronic infections, and presents tropism for particular organs in experimental infections. We evaluated T. cruzi tropism towards organs on the naturally infected rodent Octodon degus, identifying the parasites' DTUs, by means of conventional PCR and hybridization. Almost all the analyzed organs presented T. cruzi. More than 42% of the tested oesophagus, skin, skeletal muscle, brain and intestine showed T. cruzi DNA. Other nine types of organs were infected in over 15%. These results suggest that there is some tropism by T. cruzi in chronically infected O. degus. DTU TcV was present in 92.5% of infected organs with identified DTUs; this DTU is frequently reported in human infections in the Southern Cone of South America. Few organs showed mixed DTU infections. This is one of the few reports on the outcome of chronic natural T. cruzi-infection in wild mammal hosts exposed to naturally infected vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Rojo
- Instituto de Ciencias Agroalimentarias, Animales y Ambientales (ICA3), Universidad de O'Higgins, Rancagua, Chile; Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Francisca Pèlissier
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Alejandra Sandoval-Rodriguez
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Antonella Bacigalupo
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
| | - Vanessa García
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Raquel Pinto
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Sylvia Ortiz
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Carezza Botto-Mahan
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Pedro E Cattan
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Aldo Solari
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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Chagas disease: Historic perspective. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2020; 1866:165689. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Altamura F, Rajesh R, Catta-Preta CMC, Moretti NS, Cestari I. The current drug discovery landscape for trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis: Challenges and strategies to identify drug targets. Drug Dev Res 2020; 83:225-252. [PMID: 32249457 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Human trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis are vector-borne neglected tropical diseases caused by infection with the protozoan parasites Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp., respectively. Once restricted to endemic areas, these diseases are now distributed worldwide due to human migration, climate change, and anthropogenic disturbance, causing significant health and economic burden globally. The current chemotherapy used to treat these diseases has limited efficacy, and drug resistance is spreading. Hence, new drugs are urgently needed. Phenotypic compound screenings have prevailed as the leading method to discover new drug candidates against these diseases. However, the publication of the complete genome sequences of multiple strains, advances in the application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and in vivo bioluminescence-based imaging have set the stage for advancing target-based drug discovery. This review analyses the limitations of the narrow pool of available drugs presently used for treating these diseases. It describes the current drug-based clinical trials highlighting the most promising leads. Furthermore, the review presents a focused discussion on the most important biological and pharmacological challenges that target-based drug discovery programs must overcome to advance drug candidates. Finally, it examines the advantages and limitations of modern research tools designed to identify and validate essential genes as drug targets, including genomic editing applications and in vivo imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Altamura
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rishi Rajesh
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Nilmar S Moretti
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Igor Cestari
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
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Jansen AM, Xavier SCDC, Roque ALR. Landmarks of the Knowledge and Trypanosoma cruzi Biology in the Wild Environment. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:10. [PMID: 32117794 PMCID: PMC7016096 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are ancient parasitic eukaryotes that still maintain prokaryotic characteristics. Trypanosoma cruzi, a primarily wild mammal parasite, infected humans already long before European colonization of the Americas. T. cruzi heterogeneity remains an unsolved question, and until now, it has still not been possible to associate T. cruzi genotypes with any biological or epidemiological feature. One of the first biochemical attempts to cluster the T. cruzi subpopulations recognized three main subpopulations (zymodemes) that have been associated with the transmission cycles in the wild (Z1; Z3) and in the domestic environment (Z2). The description of wild mammal species harboring Z2 two decades later challenged this assemblage attempt. Currently, the genotypes of T. cruzi are assembled in seven discrete typing units (DTUs). The biology of T. cruzi still shows novelties such as the description of epimastigotes multiplying and differentiating to metacyclic trypomastigotes in the lumen of the scent glands of Didelphis spp. and the capacity of the true meiosis in parallel to clonal reproduction. The study of the transmission cycle among wild animals has broken paradigms and raised new questions: (i) the interaction of the T. cruzi DTUs with each of its mammalian host species displays peculiarities; (ii) the impact of mixed genotypes and species on the transmissibility of one or another species or on pathogenesis is still unknown; (iii) independent T. cruzi transmission cycles may occur in the same forest fragment; (iv) the capacity to act as a reservoir depends on the peculiarities of the host species and the parasite genotype; and (v) faunistic composition is a defining trait of the T. cruzi transmission cycle profile. The development of models of environmental variables that determine the spatial distribution of the elements that make up T. cruzi transmission by spatial analysis, followed by map algebra and networking, are the next steps toward interpreting and dealing with the new profile of Chagas disease with its many peculiarities. There is no way to solve this neglected disease once and for all if not through a multidisciplinary look that takes into account all kinds of human and animal activities in parallel to environmental variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Maria Jansen
- Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Alonso-Vega C, Losada-Galván I, Pinazo MJ, Sancho Mas J, Brustenga JG, Alonso-Padilla J. The senseless orphanage of Chagas disease. Expert Opin Orphan Drugs 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/21678707.2019.1701432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Javier Sancho Mas
- ISGlobal - Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Leite ACL, Espíndola JWP, de Oliveira Cardoso MV, de Oliveira Filho GB. Privileged Structures in the Design of Potential Drug Candidates for Neglected Diseases. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:4323-4354. [DOI: 10.2174/0929867324666171023163752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Background:
Privileged motifs are recurring in a wide range of biologically
active compounds that reach different pharmaceutical targets and pathways and could represent
a suitable start point to access potential candidates in the neglected diseases field.
The current therapies to treat these diseases are based in drugs that lack of the desired effectiveness,
affordable methods of synthesis and allow a way to emergence of resistant
strains. Due the lack of financial return, only few pharmaceutical companies have been
investing in research for new therapeutics for neglected diseases (ND).
Methods:
Based on the literature search from 2002 to 2016, we discuss how six privileged
motifs, focusing phthalimide, isatin, indole, thiosemicarbazone, thiazole, and thiazolidinone
are particularly recurrent in compounds active against some of neglected diseases.
Results:
It was observed that attention was paid particularly for Chagas disease, malaria,
tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, dengue, African sleeping sickness (Human
African Trypanosomiasis - HAT) and toxoplasmosis. It was possible to verify that, among
the ND, antitrypanosomal and antiplasmodial activities were between the most searched.
Besides, thiosemicarbazone moiety seems to be the most versatile and frequently explored
scaffold. As well, phthalimide, isatin, thiazole, and thiazolidone nucleus have been also
explored in the ND field.
Conclusion:
Some described compounds, appear to be promising drug candidates, while
others could represent a valuable inspiration in the research for new lead compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cristina Lima Leite
- Departamento de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Centro de Ciencias da Saude, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-520, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - José Wanderlan Pontes Espíndola
- Departamento de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Centro de Ciencias da Saude, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-520, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | | | - Gevanio Bezerra de Oliveira Filho
- Departamento de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Centro de Ciencias da Saude, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-520, Recife, PE, Brazil
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Cardoso MVDO, Oliveira Filho GBD, Siqueira LRPD, Espíndola JWP, Silva EBD, Mendes APDO, Pereira VRA, Castro MCABD, Ferreira RS, Villela FS, Costa FMRD, Meira CS, Moreira DRM, Soares MBP, Leite ACL. 2-(phenylthio)ethylidene derivatives as anti-Trypanosoma cruzi compounds: Structural design, synthesis and antiparasitic activity. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 180:191-203. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Arrúa EC, Seremeta KP, Bedogni GR, Okulik NB, Salomon CJ. Nanocarriers for effective delivery of benznidazole and nifurtimox in the treatment of chagas disease: A review. Acta Trop 2019; 198:105080. [PMID: 31299283 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) constitute a group of infectious diseases prevalent in countries with tropical and subtropical climate that affect the poorest individuals and produce high chronic disability associated with serious problems for the health system and socioeconomic development. Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is included on the NTDs list. However, even though this disease affects more than 10 million people, mostly in Latin America, causing the death of over 10,000 people every year, only two drugs are approved for its treatment, benznidazole and nifurtimox. These antiparasitic agents were developed almost half a century ago and present several biopharmaceutical disadvantages such as low aqueous solubility and permeability limiting their bioavailability. In addition, both therapeutic agents are available only as tablets and a liquid pediatric formulation is still lacking. Therefore, novel pharmaceutical strategies to optimize the pharmacotherapy of Chagas disease are urgently required. In this regard, nanotechnological approaches may be a crucial alternative for the delivery of both drugs ensuring an effective pharmacotherapy although the successful bench-to-bedside translation remains a major challenge. The present work reviews in detail the formulation and in-vitro/in-vivo analysis of different nanoformulations of nifurtimox and benznidazole in order to enhance their solubility, dissolution, bioavailability and trypanocidal activity.
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Meza-Menchaca T, Ramos-Ligonio A, López-Monteon A, Vidal Limón A, Kaluzhskiy LA, V Shkel T, V Strushkevich N, Jiménez-García LF, Agredano Moreno LT, Gallegos-García V, Suárez-Medellín J, Trigos Á. Insights into Ergosterol Peroxide's Trypanocidal Activity. Biomolecules 2019; 9:E484. [PMID: 31547423 PMCID: PMC6770379 DOI: 10.3390/biom9090484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease, is a significant health threat in many countries and affects millions of people. Given the magnitude of this disease, a broader understanding of trypanocidal mechanisms is needed to prevent and treat infection. Natural endoperoxides, such as ergosterol peroxide, have been shown to be toxic to parasites without causing harm to human cells or tissues. Although prior studies have demonstrated the trypanocidal activity of ergosterol peroxide, the cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The results of this study indicate that a free-radical reaction occurs in T. cruzi following ergosterol peroxide exposure, leading to cell death. Using a combination of biochemical, microscopic and in silico experimental approaches, we have identified, for the first time, the cellular and molecular cytotoxic mechanism of an ergosterol peroxide obtained from Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq) P. Kumm. f. sp. Florida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuluz Meza-Menchaca
- Laboratorio de Genómica Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Veracruzana, Médicos y Odontólogos S/N, Col. Unidad del Bosque, Xalapa C.P. 91010, Veracruz, Mexico.
| | - Angel Ramos-Ligonio
- LADISER, Inmunología y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Orizaba 94340, Veracruz, Mexico.
| | - Aracely López-Monteon
- LADISER, Inmunología y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Orizaba 94340, Veracruz, Mexico.
| | - Abraham Vidal Limón
- Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Carr. Tijuana-Ensenada, Col. Pedregal Playitas, Ensenada C.P. 22860, Baja California, Mexico.
| | - Leonid A Kaluzhskiy
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 10 building 8, Pogodinskaya Street, 119121 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Tatjana V Shkel
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry NASB, Kuprevich Street, 220141 Minsk, Belarus.
| | | | - Luis Felipe Jiménez-García
- Laboratorio de Microscopía Electrónica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, México D.F. 04510, Mexico.
| | - Lourdes Teresa Agredano Moreno
- Laboratorio de Nano-Biología Celular, Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, México D.F. 04510, Mexico.
| | - Verónica Gallegos-García
- Facultad de Enfermería y Nutrición, UASLP, Av. Niño Artillero 130, Zona Universitaria Poniente, San Luis Potosí C.P. 78240, Mexico.
| | - Jorge Suárez-Medellín
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91190, Mexico.
| | - Ángel Trigos
- Centro de Investigación de Micología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa 91010, Veracruz, Mexico.
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Antinori S, Ridolfo AL, Giacomelli A, Bonazzetti C, Corbellino M, Galli M. Chagas disease in Italy: the study's contribution of Italian researchers. Panminerva Med 2019; 61:464-472. [PMID: 31362479 DOI: 10.23736/s0031-0808.19.03723-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD) is an emerging infection in Italy as the consequence of the huge immigration from Latin American countries observed during the last ten-fifteen years. However, the interest of Italian researchers on CD dates back to the '80-90s of the last century with studies conducted in collaboration with Brazilian and Argentinian colleagues by Italian cardiologists and pathologists. Moreover, the first demonstration of the existence in the pre-Columbian America of Chagas disease in a Peruvian mummy was made by a group of Italian paleopathologists. Seroprevalence studies performed between 2010-2014 in Negrar (Verona), Bergamo, Milan, Florence and Rome shows Trypanosoma cruzi infection ranging from 3.9% to 17.1% with people coming from Bolivia as the most affected. As observed in Latin America about 30% of screened subjects in Italy are affected by cardiac or digestive forms of CD. More than 20% of subjects treated with benznidazole discontinued it permanently due to adverse events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spinello Antinori
- Luigi Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy - .,III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milan, Italy -
| | - Anna L Ridolfo
- III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Giacomelli
- III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Cecilia Bonazzetti
- Luigi Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Corbellino
- III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Galli
- Luigi Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,III Division of Infectious Diseases, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Milan, Italy
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Nagajyothi JF, Weiss LM. Advances in understanding the role of adipose tissue and mitochondrial oxidative stress in Trypanosoma cruzi infection. F1000Res 2019; 8. [PMID: 31354939 PMCID: PMC6652099 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.19190.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, causes a latent infection that results in cardiomyopathy. Infection with this pathogen is a major socio-economic burden in areas of endemic infection throughout Latin America. The development of chagasic cardiomyopathy is dependent on the persistence of this parasite in host tissues. Pathogenesis of this cardiomyopathy is multifactorial and research indicates that it includes microvascular dysfunction, immune responses to host and parasite antigens, and various vasoactive and lipid mediators produced by both the host and parasite. It has been demonstrated that
T. cruzi persists in adipose tissue and uses fat as a nutritional niche in infected hosts. This chronic infection of adipose tissue plays an important role in the pathogenesis and persistence of this infection and involves mitochondrial stress responses as well as the production of various anti-inflammatory adipokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines by both white and brown adipose tissue. The changes in diet in endemic regions of infection have resulted in an epidemic of obesity that has significant implications for the pathogenesis of
T. cruzi infection and the development of chagasic cardiomyopathy in infected humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyothi F Nagajyothi
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School, 225 Warren Street, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA
| | - Louis M Weiss
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Room 504 Forchheimer Building, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA
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Lidani KCF, Andrade FA, Bavia L, Damasceno FS, Beltrame MH, Messias-Reason IJ, Sandri TL. Chagas Disease: From Discovery to a Worldwide Health Problem. Front Public Health 2019; 7:166. [PMID: 31312626 PMCID: PMC6614205 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 266] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Carlos Chagas discovered American trypanosomiasis, also named Chagas disease (CD) in his honor, just over a century ago. He described the clinical aspects of the disease, characterized by its etiological agent (Trypanosoma cruzi) and identified its insect vector. Initially, CD occurred only in Latin America and was considered a silent and poorly visible disease. More recently, CD became a neglected worldwide disease with a high morbimortality rate and substantial social impact, emerging as a significant public health threat. In this context, it is crucial to better understand better the epidemiological scenarios of CD and its transmission dynamics, involving people infected and at risk of infection, diversity of the parasite, vector species, and T. cruzi reservoirs. Although efforts have been made by endemic and non-endemic countries to control, treat, and interrupt disease transmission, the cure or complete eradication of CD are still topics of great concern and require global attention. Considering the current scenario of CD, also affecting non-endemic places such as Canada, USA, Europe, Australia, and Japan, in this review we aim to describe the spread of CD cases worldwide since its discovery until it has become a global public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabiana Antunes Andrade
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopathology, Clinical Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Lorena Bavia
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopathology, Clinical Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Flávia Silva Damasceno
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps-LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcia Holsbach Beltrame
- Laboratory of Human Molecular Genetics, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Iara J Messias-Reason
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopathology, Clinical Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Thaisa Lucas Sandri
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunopathology, Clinical Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.,Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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De Fuentes-Vicente JA, Vidal-López DG, Flores-Villegas AL, Moreno-Rodríguez A, De Alba-Alvarado MC, Salazar-Schettino PM, Rodríguez-López MH, Gutiérrez-Cabrera AE. Trypanosoma cruzi: A review of biological and methodological factors in Mexican strains. Acta Trop 2019; 195:51-57. [PMID: 31022383 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, responsible for Chagas disease, is a serious public health problem in Latin America with eight million people infected in the world. Clinical manifestations observed in humans due to T. cruzi infection are largely associated with the wide biological and genetic heterogeneity of the parasite. This review presents an overview of the parasitological aspects of various strains of T. cruzi isolated mainly in Mexico, as well as an analysis of the methodological processes used to determine their virulence that could be influencing their biological characterization. We emphasize the importance of using uniform protocols to study T. cruzi virulence, taking into account factors related to: strain (i.e. developmental stage, lineage, biological origin, genetic variability), animal model used (i.e. role of hormones, host immune response, age) and methodology (i.e. inoculum size, inoculation route, and laboratory conditions used during strain maintenance). These uniform protocols will then allow proposing elements for understanding clinical evolution and management of the disease, for providing adequate treatment, and for developing tools for future vaccines against Chagas disease.
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Tilley L, Nystrom K. A 'cold case' of care: Looking at old data from a new perspective in mummy research. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2019; 25:72-81. [PMID: 30120031 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In 1973, analysis of the mummified remains of a young boy dated to 700AD and from the Late Nasca period (Peru) identified (i) chronic Pott's disease, leading to loss of lower body mobility, and (ii) acute miliary tuberculosis, affecting most organs and the immediate cause of death (Allison et al., 1973). This report was the first to establish, beyond dispute, the presence of tuberculosis in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. Here, we revisit the 'Nasca Boy' from a bioarchaeology of care perspective. Contextualising the original study's results within what is known of contemporary lifeways, we apply the bioarchaeology of care methodology in considering the Nasca Boy's experience of living with tuberculosis; the type of care he required and how this may have evolved over a period of deteriorating health; and what such caregiving may suggest both about social organisation within his community and some of the more everyday aspects of Nasca existence. Up to now, the bioarchaeology of care approach has been employed almost exclusively with skeletal evidence; in this analysis of the Nasca Boy's remains, and in the accompanying wider-ranging discussion, we illustrate the potential of preserved soft tissue evidence to contribute to research into disability and care in the past. Although this report functions as a stand-alone case study, to obtain maximum benefit it should be read in conjunction with the Introduction to the special International Journal of Paleopathology issue on 'mummy studies and the bioarchaeology of care' (Nystrom and Tilley, 2018).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kenneth Nystrom
- Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at New Paltz, USA
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Rao SPS, Barrett MP, Dranoff G, Faraday CJ, Gimpelewicz CR, Hailu A, Jones CL, Kelly JM, Lazdins-Helds JK, Mäser P, Mengel J, Mottram JC, Mowbray CE, Sacks DL, Scott P, Späth GF, Tarleton RL, Spector JM, Diagana TT. Drug Discovery for Kinetoplastid Diseases: Future Directions. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:152-157. [PMID: 30543391 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.8b00298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Kinetoplastid parasites have caused human disease for millennia. Significant achievements have been made toward developing new treatments for leishmaniasis (particularly on the Indian subcontinent) and for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). Moreover, the sustained decrease in the incidence of HAT has made the prospect of elimination a tantalizing reality. Despite the gains, no new chemical or biological entities to treat kinetoplastid diseases have been registered in more than three decades, and more work is needed to discover safe and effective therapies for patients with Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. Advances in tools for drug discovery and novel insights into the biology of the host-parasite interaction may provide opportunities for accelerated progress. Here, we summarize the output from a gathering of scientists and physicians who met to discuss the current status and future directions in drug discovery for kinetoplastid diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivasa P. S. Rao
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), 5300 Chiron Way, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Michael P. Barrett
- University of Glasgow, University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Glenn Dranoff
- Immuno-oncology, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Christopher J. Faraday
- Autoimmunity, Transplantation and Inflammation, NIBR, Fabrikstrasse 2, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Asrat Hailu
- School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 28017 code 1000, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Catherine L. Jones
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), 5300 Chiron Way, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - John M. Kelly
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | | | - Pascal Mäser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4501 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, CH 4000 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jose Mengel
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ-RJ, Av. Brasil 4365, Cep: 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
- Faculty of Medicine of Petropolis, University in Petròpolis, Av. Barao do Rio Branco 1003, Cep: 25680-120, Petropolis-RJ, Brazil
| | - Jeremy C. Mottram
- University of York, Wentworth Way Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Charles E. Mowbray
- Drugs for Neglected
Diseases initiative, 15 Chemin Louis-Dunant, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David L. Sacks
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 4 Memorial Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Phillip Scott
- University of Pennsylvania, 380 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Gerald F. Späth
- Institut Pasteur, 25 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Rick L. Tarleton
- University of Georgia, Coverdell Center, 500 DW Brooks Dr, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Jonathan M. Spector
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), 5300 Chiron Way, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Thierry T. Diagana
- Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), 5300 Chiron Way, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
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Babb DE, Vera-Arroyo A, Rodriquez-Blanco Y, Fabbro M. An Unusual Suspect in a Case of Left Ventricular Aneurysm. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2019; 33:2344-2348. [PMID: 30709593 DOI: 10.1053/j.jvca.2019.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
True left ventricular aneurysms are most frequently seen after acute transmural myocardial infarction. These aneurysms are distinct from apical left ventricular pseudoaneurysms, which can also be seen in ischemia, and have a different treatment course. A major dilemma for clinicians is using echocardiographic information to make this distinction. Coronary angiography aids in this distinction; however, in the case of normal coronaries alternate etiologies must be considered. The differential for a patient with a left ventricular aneurysm and normal coronaries or no prior cardiac surgery is broad and includes traumatic, infectious and infiltrative causes. In this e-challenge, we present an unusual cause of a left ventricular apical aneurysm in a patient with normal coronary arteries residing in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle E Babb
- Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL.
| | - Arnaldo Vera-Arroyo
- Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL; Miami Veteran's Health Administration, Miami, FL
| | | | - Michael Fabbro
- Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
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Association study between CCR2-CCR5 genes polymorphisms and chronic Chagas heart disease in Wichi and in admixed populations from Argentina. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007033. [PMID: 30650073 PMCID: PMC6334923 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Several studies have proposed different genetic markers of susceptibility to develop chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). Many genes may be involved, each one making a small contribution. For this reason, an appropriate approach for this problematic is to study a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in individuals sharing a genetic background. Our aim was to analyze two CCR2 and seven CCR5 SNPs and their association to CCC in Argentina. A case-control study was carried out in 480 T. cruzi seropositive adults from Argentinean Gran Chaco endemic region (Wichi and Creole) and patients from Buenos Aires health centres. They were classified according to the Consensus on Chagas-Mazza Disease as non-demonstrated (non-DC group) or demonstrated (DC group) cardiomyopathy, i.e. asymptomatic or with CCC patients, respectively. Since, after allelic analysis, 2 out of 9 studied SNPs did not fit Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in the unaffected non-DC group from Wichi patients, we analyzed them as a separate population. Only rs1800024T and rs41469351T in CCR5 gene showed significant differences within non-Wichi population (Creole + patients from Buenos Aires centres), being the former associated to protection, and the latter to risk of CCC. No evidence of association was observed between any of the analyzed CCR2-CCR5 gene polymorphisms and the development of CCC; however, the HHE haplotype was associated with protection in Wichi population. Our findings support the hypothesis that CCR2-CCR5 genes and their haplotypes are associated with CCC; however, depending on the population studied, different associations can be found. Therefore, the evolutionary context, in which the genes or haplotypes are associated with diseases, acquires special relevance. Chagas disease caused by the infection with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is endemic in Latin America. In Argentina, it is estimated 1.5 million patients have Chagas disease and 2.2 million people in risk of T. cruzi infection. The endemic area covers the north of the country where the conditions, such as high levels of poverty and social exclusion and low population density, mostly rural, favor T. cruzi infection. Most affected people remains asymptomatic after infection for the rest of their lives, but around one third of infected people may develop clinical symptoms of visceral damage. Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC), the most frequent and severe consequence of the chronic infection by T. cruzi, is manifested predominately as an arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. The pathogenesis of CCC is not completely understood, but it is believed that the human genetic variation may be a determinant factor of disease progression. We studied in Wichi and in admixed populations from Argentina the CCR2-CCR5 genes, two CC chemokine receptors involved in the trafficking of several immune cells and in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Our results showed that CCR2-CCR5 genes are associated with CCC and highlight the relevance of the evolutionary context in which disease-associated genes are found.
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Lepesheva GI, Friggeri L, Waterman MR. CYP51 as drug targets for fungi and protozoan parasites: past, present and future. Parasitology 2018; 145:1820-1836. [PMID: 29642960 PMCID: PMC6185833 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182018000562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The efficiency of treatment of human infections with the unicellular eukaryotic pathogens such as fungi and protozoa remains deeply unsatisfactory. For example, the mortality rates from nosocomial fungemia in critically ill, immunosuppressed or post-cancer patients often exceed 50%. A set of six systemic clinical azoles [sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) inhibitors] represents the first-line antifungal treatment. All these drugs were discovered empirically, by monitoring their effects on fungal cell growth, though it had been proven that they kill fungal cells by blocking the biosynthesis of ergosterol in fungi at the stage of 14α-demethylation of the sterol nucleus. This review briefs the history of antifungal azoles, outlines the situation with the current clinical azole-based drugs, describes the attempts of their repurposing for treatment of human infections with the protozoan parasites that, similar to fungi, also produce endogenous sterols, and discusses the most recently acquired knowledge on the CYP51 structure/function and inhibition. It is our belief that this information should be helpful in shifting from the traditional phenotypic screening to the actual target-driven drug discovery paradigm, which will rationalize and substantially accelerate the development of new, more efficient and pathogen-oriented CYP51 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina I. Lepesheva
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Laura Friggeri
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
| | - Michael R. Waterman
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
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Campagnaro GD, de Freitas Nascimento J, Girard RB, Silber AM, de Koning HP. Cloning and characterisation of the Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter family of Trypanosoma cruzi: ultra-high affinity and selectivity to survive in the intracellular niche. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2018; 1862:2750-2763. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2018.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Flammer PG, Dellicour S, Preston SG, Rieger D, Warren S, Tan CKW, Nicholson R, Přichystalová R, Bleicher N, Wahl J, Faria NR, Pybus OG, Pollard M, Smith AL. Molecular archaeoparasitology identifies cultural changes in the Medieval Hanseatic trading centre of Lübeck. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0991. [PMID: 30282648 PMCID: PMC6191690 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout history, humans have been afflicted by parasitic worms, and eggs are readily detected in archaeological deposits. This study integrated parasitological and ancient DNA methods with a large sample set dating between Neolithic and Early Modern periods to explore the utility of molecular archaeoparasitology as a new approach to study the past. Molecular analyses provided unequivocal species-level parasite identification and revealed location-specific epidemiological signatures. Faecal–oral transmitted nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura) were ubiquitous across time and space. By contrast, high numbers of food-associated cestodes (Diphyllobothrium latum and Taenia saginata) were restricted to medieval Lübeck. The presence of these cestodes and changes in their prevalence at approximately 1300 CE indicate substantial alterations in diet or parasite availability. Trichuris trichiura ITS-1 sequences grouped into two clades; one ubiquitous and one restricted to medieval Lübeck and Bristol. The high sequence diversity of T.t.ITS-1 detected in Lübeck is consistent with its importance as a Hanseatic trading centre. Collectively, these results introduce molecular archaeoparasitology as an artefact-independent source of historical evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik G Flammer
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.,Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Simon Dellicour
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK.,Rega Institute for Medical Research, Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stephen G Preston
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Dirk Rieger
- Archäologie und Denkmalpflege der Hansestadt Lübeck, 23566 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Sylvia Warren
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Cedric K W Tan
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Rebecca Nicholson
- Oxford Archaeology Ltd., Janus House, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, UK
| | | | - Niels Bleicher
- Hochbauamt der Stadt Zürich, Abteilung Unterwasserarchäologie, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Joachim Wahl
- Universität Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.,Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Nuno R Faria
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Oliver G Pybus
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Mark Pollard
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Adrian L Smith
- Department of Zoology, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
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Sereno D, Dorkeld F, Akhoundi M, Perrin P. Pathogen Species Identification from Metagenomes in Ancient Remains: The Challenge of Identifying Human Pathogenic Species of Trypanosomatidae via Bioinformatic Tools. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9080418. [PMID: 30127280 PMCID: PMC6115896 DOI: 10.3390/genes9080418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate species identification from ancient DNA samples is a difficult task that would shed light on the evolutionary history of pathogenic microorganisms. The field of palaeomicrobiology has undoubtedly benefited from the advent of untargeted metagenomic approaches that use next-generation sequencing methodologies. Nevertheless, assigning ancient DNA at the species level is a challenging process. Recently, the gut microbiome analysis of three pre-Columbian Andean mummies (Santiago-Rodriguez et al., 2016) has called into question the identification of Leishmania in South America. The accurate assignment would be important because it will provide some key elements that are linked to the evolutionary scenario for visceral leishmaniasis agents in South America. Here, we recovered the metagenomic data filed in the metagenomics RAST server (MG-RAST) to identify the different members of the Trypanosomatidae family that have infected these ancient remains. For this purpose, we used the ultrafast metagenomic sequence classifier, based on an exact alignment of k-mers (Kraken) and Bowtie2, an ultrafast and memory-efficient tool for aligning sequencing reads to long reference sequences. The analyses, which have been conducted on the most exhaustive genomic database possible on Trypanosomatidae, show that species assignments could be biased by a lack of some genomic sequences of Trypanosomatidae species (strains). Nevertheless, our work raises the issue of possible co-infections by multiple members of the Trypanosomatidae family in these three pre-Columbian mummies. In the three mummies, we show the presence of DNA that is reminiscent of a probable co-infection with Leptomonas seymouri, a parasite of insect’s gut, and Lotmaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Sereno
- IRD, Montpellier University, InterTryp, 34394 Montpellier, France.
| | - Franck Dorkeld
- INRA-UMR 1062 CBGP (INRA, IRD, CIRAD), Montpellier SupAgro, Montferrier-sur-Lez, 34988 Languedoc Roussillon, France.
| | - Mohammad Akhoundi
- Parasitology-Mycology Department, Avicenne Hospital, AP-HP, 93000 Bobigny, France.
| | - Pascale Perrin
- Montpellier University, IRD, CNRS, MIVEGEC, 34394 Montpellier, France.
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Zingales B. Trypanosoma cruzi genetic diversity: Something new for something known about Chagas disease manifestations, serodiagnosis and drug sensitivity. Acta Trop 2018; 184:38-52. [PMID: 28941731 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 235] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The genetic diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan agent of Chagas disease, is widely recognized. At present, T. cruzi is partitioned into seven discrete typing units (DTUs), TcI-TcVI and Tcbat. This article reviews the present knowledge on the parasite population structure, the evolutionary relationships among DTUs and their distinct, but not exclusive ecological and epidemiological associations. Different models for the origin of hybrid DTUs are examined, which agree that genetic exchange among T. cruzi populations is frequent and has contributed to the present parasite population structure. The geographic distribution of the prevalent DTUs in humans from the southern United States to Argentina is here presented and the circumstantial evidence of a possible association between T. cruzi genotype and Chagas disease manifestations is discussed. The available information suggests that parasite strains detected in patients, regardless of the clinical presentation, reflect the principal DTU circulating in the domestic transmission cycles of a particular region. In contrast, in several orally transmitted outbreaks, sylvatic strains are implicated. As a consequence of the genotypic and phenotypic differences of T. cruzi strains and the differential geographic distribution of DTUs in humans, regional variations in the sensitivity of the serological tests are verified. The natural resistance to benznidazole and nifurtimox, verified in vivo and in vitro for some parasite stocks, is not associated with any particular DTU, and does not explain the marked difference in the anti-parasitic efficacy of both drugs in the acute and chronic phases of Chagas disease. Throughout this review, it is emphasized that the interplay between parasite and host genetics should have an important role in the definition of Chagas disease pathogenesis, anti-T. cruzi immune response and chemotherapy outcome and should be considered in future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Zingales
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 748, 05508-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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de Fuentes-Vicente JA, Gutiérrez-Cabrera AE, Flores-Villegas AL, Lowenberger C, Benelli G, Salazar-Schettino PM, Córdoba-Aguilar A. What makes an effective Chagas disease vector? Factors underlying Trypanosoma cruzi-triatomine interactions. Acta Trop 2018; 183:23-31. [PMID: 29625091 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which infect blood-feeding triatomine bugs to finally reach mammal hosts. Chagas disease is endemic in Latin America, and is ranked among the 13 neglected tropical diseases worldwide. Currently, an estimate of 7 million people is infected by T. cruzi, leading to about 22 000 deaths per year throughout the Americas. As occurs with other vectors, a major question towards control programs is what makes a susceptible bug. In this review, we focus on findings linked to insect gut structure and microbiota, immunity, genetics, blood sources, abiotic factors (with special reference to ambient temperature and altitude) to understand the interactions occurring between T. cruzi and triatomine bugs, under a co-evolutionary scenario. These factors lead to varying fitness benefits and costs for bugs, explaining why infection in the insect takes place and how it varies in time and space. Our analysis highlights that major factors are gut components and microbiota, blood sources and temperature. Although their close interaction has never been clarified, knowledge reviewed here may help to boost the success of triatomine control programs, reducing the use of insecticides.
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