A Comparative Study of the Antioxidant Defense Gene Repertoire of Distinct Lifestyle Trypanosomatid Species.

Kinetoplastids are an ancestral group of protists that contains free-living species and parasites with distinct mechanisms in response to stress. Here, we compared genes involved in antioxidant defense (AD), proposing an evolution model among trypanosomatids. All genes were identified in , suggesting that AD mechanisms have evolved prior to adaptation for parasitic lifestyles.

Autochthonous Chagas' disease in Santa Catarina State, Brazil: report of the first case of digestive tract involvement.

We report the first case of digestive tract pathology (megaesophagus) determined by Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. A 63-year-old female had presumptive clinical diagnosis of Chagas' disease, which was confirmed by imaging (endoscopy and esophagogram) and immunological methods. Further molecular diagnosis was carried out with esophagus and blood samples collected during corrective surgery.