Publications by authors named "Estela Batalla"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated the genetic variability of Strongyloides stercoralis based on a specific region of the cox1 gene from Latin-American samples, focusing on clinical outcomes following treatment with ivermectin.
- A total of 41 patients were evaluated, revealing 10 genetic haplotypes organized into two clusters; the presence of haplotypes from cluster 1 significantly increased the risk of disease reactivation post-treatment, while cluster 2 showed a substantially lower reactivation probability.
- This research is the first to analyze S. stercoralis genetic diversity in a clinical setting, highlighting the potential to enhance follow-up strategies by considering genetic information during diagnosis.
IL-10 is a pleiotropic cytokine with immunoregulatory functions affecting various cell types. In a model of experimental infection with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), we found increased morbidity and lower parasite control in IL-10 deficient mice (IL-10 KO) compared to wild-type (WT) mice.
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- Strongyloides stercoralis is a parasite affecting 30-100 million people globally, typically treated with ivermectin, but long-term efficacy studies are lacking.
- A study in Buenos Aires followed 21 patients over several years to assess treatment response using various detection methods for the parasite and its DNA.
- Results revealed that larvae reappeared in many patients within 30 days of treatment, with persistent DNA detection in stool samples, indicating ivermectin may not completely eradicate the infection and suggesting it should be viewed as a chronic condition.
Galectin-1 (Gal-1), an endogenous glycan-binding protein, is widely distributed at sites of inflammation and microbial invasion. Despite considerable progress regarding the immunoregulatory activity of this lectin, the role of endogenous Gal-1 during acute parasite infections is uncertain. In this study, we show that Gal-1 functions as a negative regulator to limit host-protective immunity following intradermal infection with Trypanosoma cruzi.
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- Early interactions between natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial in regulating the immune response, particularly during infections.
- Infection with a highly virulent strain of Trypanosoma cruzi reduces the maturation of DCs, leading to an impaired T-cell activation response.
- NK cells from mice infected with HV T. cruzi show decreased ability to activate DC maturation, suggesting that IL-10 plays a role in this regulation, potentially aiding parasite survival while limiting harmful T-cell responses.
A main feature of acute infection with Trypanosoma cruzi is the presence of immunological disorders. A previous study demonstrated that acute infection with the virulent RA strain downregulates the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) on antigen-presenting cells and impairs the T-cell stimulatory capacity of splenic dendritic cells (DC). In the present work, we assessed the ability of trypomastigotes (Tp) to modulate the differentiation stage and functionality of bone marrow-derived DC in vitro.
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