The Functions of Cytokines in the Cardiac Immunopathogenesis of Chagas Disease.

Chagas disease is a complex zoonosis. Clinically, it presents in two distinct phases, acute and chronic. The ability of patients to respond to infection depends on the balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses, in which cytokines play a key regulatory role.

Expression of Proteins, Glycoproteins, and Transcripts in the Guts of Fasting, Fed, and -Infected Triatomines: A Systematic Review.

Chagas disease is caused by the hemoflagellate protozoan The main transmission mechanism for the parasite in endemic areas is contact with the feces of an infected triatomine bug. Part of the life cycle of occurs in the digestive tract of triatomines, where vector and parasite engage in a close interaction at a proteomic-molecular level. This interaction triggers replication and differentiation processes in the parasite that can affect its infectivity for the vertebrate host.

Main Cardiac Histopathologic Alterations in the Acute Phase of Infection in a Murine Model.

Symptoms in the acute phase of Chagas disease are usually mild and nonspecific. However, after several years, severe complications like dilated heart failure and even death may arise in the chronic phase. Due to the lack of specific symptoms in the acute phase, the aim of this work was to describe and analyze the cardiac histopathology during this phase in a CD1 mouse model by assessing parasitism, fibrotic damage, and the presence and composition of a cellular infiltrate, to determine its involvement in the pathogenesis of lesions in the cardiac tissue.

Immunopathological Mechanisms Underlying Cardiac Damage in Chagas Disease.

In Chagas disease, the mechanisms involved in cardiac damage are an active field of study. The factors underlying the evolution of lesions following infection by and, in some cases, the persistence of its antigens and the host response, with the ensuing development of clinically observable cardiac damage, are analyzed in this review.

Parasitemia and Differential Tissue Tropism in Mice Infected with Isolates Obtained from in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.

is a parasite transmitted by the feces of triatomines. Many triatomine species are found in Mexico, and various variants have been isolated from these species, each showing very different virulence and cell tropism. The isolates were obtained from specimens in three localities in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico: Tehuantitla, Vixhana, and Guichivere.

Chagas' disease among school students from Chiapas, Mexico: Two cases of Chagasic cardiomyopathy.

Background & Objectives: Chagas disease is a vector-borne life-threatening illness originally confined to the Americas. Seroprevalence studies have been reported in the Mexican state of Chiapas; nevertheless, no clinical/cardiological studies have been conducted to detect underage cases. The aim of the present work was to detect underage cases in the Mexican state of Chiapas.

Response to Infection by in a Murine Model.

Cardiopathy is a common, irreversible manifestation of the chronic phase of Chagas disease; however, there is controversy as to how the causes for progression from the acute to the chronic phase are defined. In this work, the presence of the parasite is correlated with the occurrence of cell infiltration and fibrosis in cardiac tissues, as well as IgG detection and disease progression in a murine model. Fifty CD1 mice were infected intraperitoneally with , while 30 control were administered with saline solution.

Coinfection by and a fungal pathogen increases survival of Chagasic bugs: advice against a fungal control strategy.

Triatomine bugs carry the parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease. It is known that both the parasite and entomopathogenic fungi can decrease bug survival, but the combined effect of both pathogens is not known, which is relevant for biological control purposes. Herein, the survival of the triatomine Meccus pallidipennis (Stal, 1872) was compared when it was coinfected with the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) and T.

Activity of the prophenoloxidase system and survival of triatomines infected with different Trypanosoma cruzi strains under different temperatures: understanding Chagas disease in the face of climate change.

Background: Little is known about how human disease vectors will modify their life history patterns and survival capacity as a result of climate change. One case is that of Chagas disease, which has triatomine bugs and Trypanosoma cruzi as vectors and parasite, respectively. This work aimed to determine: (i) the activity of the prophenoloxidase system (prophenoloxidase and phenoloxidase activity, two indicators of immune ability) in three intestine regions (anterior midgut, posterior midgutand rectum) of the triatomine bug Meccus pallidipennis under three temperature conditions (20 °C, 30 °C and 34 °C) against two T.

Identification of -Glcnacylated Proteins in .

Originally an anthropozoonosis in the Americas, Chagas disease has spread from its previous borders through migration. It is caused by the protozoan . Differences in disease severity have been attributed to a natural pleomorphism in .

Effects of Trypanosoma cruzi on the phenoloxidase and prophenoloxidase activity in the vector Meccus pallidipennis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae).

Background: Triatomine insects are vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease. The insect-parasite interaction has been studied in relation to the transmission and prevalence of this disease. For most triatomines, however, several crucial aspects of the insect immune response are still unknown.

Bacterial symbionts in human blood-feeding arthropods: Patterns, general mechanisms and effects of global ecological changes.

Due to their high impact on public health, human blood-feeding arthropods are one of the most relevant animal groups. Bacterial symbionts have been long known to play a role in the metabolism, and reproduction of these arthropod vectors. Nowadays, we have a more complete picture of their functions, acknowledging the wide influence of bacterial symbionts on processes ranging from the immune response of the arthropod host to the possible establishment of pathogens and parasites.

Th-17 cytokines are associated with severity of Trypanosoma cruzi chronic infection in pediatric patients from endemic areas of Mexico.

In Chagas disease the clinical, acute and chronic manifestations are the result of the interaction between the parasite and the host factors. The balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory immune responses is essential for the increase or resolution of the manifestations in individuals infected with T. cruzi.

Chagas Disease in Mexico: Report of 14 Cases of Chagasic Cardiomyopathy in Children.

Chagas disease is a parasitic infection mainly found in Latin America; it is transmitted by a triatomine, also known as assassin bug or kissing bug. In humans, the parasite causes mostly cardiac disorders. Two-thirds of the Mexican territory are regarded as risk areas for vector transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent.

Survival and immune response of the Chagas vector Meccus pallidipennis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) against two entomopathogenic fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae and Isaria fumosorosea.

Background: Chagas disease is a key health problem in Latin America and is caused and transmitted by Trypanosoma cruzi and triatomine bugs, respectively. Control of triatomines has largely relied on the use pyrethroids, which has proved to be ineffective in the long term. Alternatively, the use of entomopathogenic fungi has been implemented to control triatomine bugs.

[Identification of immunodominant components of an isolate of Trypanosoma cruzi by immunoblot and its standardization for diagnostic purposes].

Introduction: Conventional serology was used for the detection of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, with diverse sensitivity and specificity results. Due to the number of samples with doubtful results, it is necessary to develop additional confirmation tests such as the immunoblot.

Objective: The aim of this study was identify major immunogenic proteins of T.

[Chagas disease in Mexico. Report of two acute cases].

Two cases of acute Chagas disease in schoolchildren of 6 and 13 years of age, both with the clinical features of Romaña's sign, regional lymphadenopathy, and fever, have a history of coexistence and the bite of the transmitter, and live in housing constructed with material considered at risk for infestation by the vector; i.e. roof and walls with palma/zacate (palm tree, grass leaves), dirt floor, and inadequate illumination and ventilation.

[Evaluation of the function and ventricular synchrony in patients with latency stage of Chagas' disease].

Objective: To compare the left ventricular function and the ventricular synchrony in patients with Chagas disease in latency stage respect to a control group.

Methods: We analyze a prospective, comparative, transversal and non randomized study of the left ventricular function (LVF) and the ventricular contraction synchronicity (VCS) in 36 subjects with positive serology for Chagas disease (18 males and 18 females), with mean of 15 +/- 5-years-old. The findings were compared with respect to 23 control volunteers (11 males and 12 females) with mean of 28 +/- 5-years-old.

Chagas disease as a cause of symptomatic chronic myocardopathy in Mexican children.

We report the first case series of children in Mexico living with symptomatic Chagas disease causing chronic myocardopathy. The findings suggest that children with Chagas disease may develop symptomatic chronic myocardopathy earlier than previously recognized. Our findings emphasize the importance of longitudinal cardiologic follow-up of all children identified with acute Chagas disease.