Experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in Latin America between 2016 and 2020.

Objective: To document the experience with ECMO therapy in healthcare institutions across Latin America between 2016 and 2020.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Private and public health institutions from 7 countries.

Immunopeptidomic MHC-I profiling and immunogenicity testing identifies Tcj2 as a new Chagas disease mRNA vaccine candidate.

Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease. Globally 6 to 7 million people are infected by this parasite of which 20-30% will progress to develop Chronic Chagasic Cardiomyopathy (CCC). Despite its high disease burden, no clinically approved vaccine exists for the prevention or treatment of CCC.

Parasite-microbiota interactions: a pathway to innovative interventions for Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and ascariasis.

Parasitic infections are a major global health challenge, driven in part by complex interactions between parasites, host microbiota, and immune responses. Recent advances in microbiome research highlight the critical role of microbiota in influencing disease outcomes and treatment effectiveness. This review examines how changes in the microbiota impact parasite transmission, disease progression, and responses to treatment, focusing on key parasitic diseases such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and ascariasis.

Microbiota dynamics during Ascaris suum larval migration: Implications for host microbial communities in a murine model.

The complex interactions between parasites, their hosts, and associated microbiota hold significant implications for host health and disease outcomes. Helminths like Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum can significantly alter the host's intestinal microbiota, affecting both parasite biology and host pathology. Despite extensive research on host-microbiota changes due to helminth infections, the study of helminth-associated microbiota remains limited.

Treatments and the Perspectives of Developing a Vaccine for Chagas Disease.

Chagas disease (CD) treatment and vaccine development are critical due to the significant health burden caused by the disease, especially in Latin America. Current treatments include benznidazole and nifurtimox, which are most effective in the acute phase of the disease but less so in the chronic phase, often with significant side effects. Here, using the available literature, we summarize the progress in vaccine development and new treatments that promise to reduce CD incidence and improve the quality of life for those at risk, particularly in endemic regions.