Agreement of the Kato-Katz test established by the WHO with samples fixed with sodium acetate analyzed at 6 months to diagnose intestinal geohelminthes.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Kato-Katz test (WHO version) with stool samples from a rural area, fixed with sodium acetate (SAF). The Kato-Katz test was used to compare unfixed samples (conventional test) with the same samples containing SAF fixative at time 0 and at 6 months. The study included stools from 154 subjects.

Follow-up of an asymptomatic Chagas disease population of children after treatment with nifurtimox (Lampit) in a sylvatic endemic transmission area of Colombia.

Background: Chagas disease is an anthropozoonosis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Two drugs are currently used for the etiological treatment of the disease: Nifurtimox (Lampit) and Benznidazole. This study presents a quasi-experimental trial (non-control group) of sixty-two patients who were treated for Chagas disease with Nifurtimox (Lampit), and were then followed for 30 months post-treatment.

Comparative study of the biological properties of Trypanosoma cruzi I genotypes in a murine experimental model.

Chagas disease is an endemic zoonosis in Latin America and caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. This kinetoplastid displays remarkable genetic variability, allowing its classification into six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) from TcI to TcVI. T.

Identification of six New World Leishmania species through the implementation of a High-Resolution Melting (HRM) genotyping assay.

Background: Leishmaniases are tropical zoonotic diseases, caused by parasites from the genus Leishmania. New World (NW) species are related to sylvatic cycles although urbanization processes have been reported in some South American Countries such as Colombia. This eco-epidemiological complexity imposes a challenge to the detection of circulating parasite species, not only related to human cases but also infecting vectors and reservoirs.

Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi) and HIV co-infection in Colombia.

Chagas disease is a complex zoonotic pathology caused by the kinetoplastid Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite presents remarkable genetic variability and has been grouped into six discrete typing units (DTUs). The association between the DTUs and clinical outcome remains unknown.

Reproductive clonality in protozoan pathogens--truth or artefact?

The debate around the frequency and importance of genetic exchange in parasitic protozoa is now several decades old. Recently, fresh assertions have been made that predominant clonal evolution explains the population structures of several key protozoan pathogens. Here, we present an alternative perspective.

Development of peptide-based lineage-specific serology for chronic Chagas disease: geographical and clinical distribution of epitope recognition.

Background: Chagas disease, caused by infection with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, remains a serious public health issue in Latin America. Genetically diverse, the species is sub-divided into six lineages, known as TcI-TcVI, which have disparate geographical and ecological distributions. TcII, TcV, and TcVI are associated with severe human disease in the Southern Cone countries, whereas TcI is associated with cardiomyopathy north of the Amazon.

From ancient to contemporary molecular eco-epidemiology of Chagas disease in the Americas.

One of the best-studied populations with regard to Chagas disease is from the coastal area of northern Chile at the foot of the western Andean slopes. The extremely arid climate here generates rapid, spontaneous desiccation of buried bodies, arresting the decay process. The absence of rainfall then preserves these dried bodies (mummies) for millennia.

Cytokine profiling in Chagas disease: towards understanding the association with infecting Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units (a BENEFIT TRIAL sub-study).

Background: Chagas disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is an important public health problem in Latin America. The immunological mechanisms involved in Chagas disease pathogenesis remain incompletely elucidated. The aim of this study was to explore cytokine profiles and their possible association to the infecting DTU and the pathogenesis of Chagas disease.

Genetic structure of Trypanosoma cruzi in Colombia revealed by a High-throughput Nuclear Multilocus Sequence Typing (nMLST) approach.

Background: Chagas disease is a systemic pathology caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite reveals remarkable genetic variability, evinced in six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) named from T. cruzi I to T.

The identification of two Trypanosoma cruzi I genotypes from domestic and sylvatic transmission cycles in Colombia based on a single polymerase chain reaction amplification of the spliced-leader intergenic region.

A single polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reaction targeting the spliced-leader intergenic region of Trypanosoma cruzi I was standardised by amplifying a 231 bp fragment in domestic (TcIDOM) strains or clones and 450 and 550 bp fragments in sylvatic strains or clones. This reaction was validated using 44 blind coded samples and 184 non-coded T. cruzi I clones isolated from sylvatic triatomines and the correspondence between the amplified fragments and their domestic or sylvatic origin was determined.

Retrospective molecular integrated epidemiology of Chagas disease in Colombia.

American trypanosomiasis is a very complex zoonosis that is present throughout South America, Central America, and Mexico and continues to represent a serious threat to the health of countries in the region. The parasite infects 150 species from 24 families of domestic and wild mammals and shows remarkable genetic variability evinced in at least seven discrete typing units (DTU's) named TcI-TcVI with the presence of a novel genotype associated with bats named TcBat. These DTUs show a wide range of geographical and host distributions.

Blastocystis subtypes detected in humans and animals from Colombia.

Blastocystis is a common enteric protist colonizing probably more than 1 billion people along with a large variety of non-human hosts. This protist has been linked to symptoms and diseases such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, flatulence and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Remarkable genetic diversity has been observed, leading to the subdivision of the genus into multiple subtypes (ST), some of which are exclusively found in non-human hosts.

Trypanosome species in neo-tropical bats: biological, evolutionary and epidemiological implications.

Bats (Chiroptera) are the only mammals naturally able to fly. Due to this characteristic they play a relevant ecological role in the niches they inhabit. These mammals spread infectious diseases from enzootic to domestic foci.

Temporal variation of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units in asymptomatic Chagas disease patients.

Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is a public health problem in Latin America. This parasite displays a high genetic diversity evidenced in six Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) namely TcI-TcVI. The aim of this study was to observe the temporal variation of the DTUs in asymptomatic patients at three different times (10 days interval).

Identification of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units (DTUs) through the implementation of a high-resolution melting (HRM) genotyping assay.

Background: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a geographically widespread anthropozoonosis that is considered a major public health problem in Latin America. Because this parasite presents high genetic variability, a nomenclature has been adopted to classify the parasite into six discrete typing units (DTUs): TcI, TcII, TcIII, TcIV, TcV, and TcVI, which present different eco-epidemiological, clinical, and geographic associations. Currently, the available genotyping methods present a series of drawbacks that implies the need for developing new methods for characterizing T.

Molecular epidemiology of human oral Chagas disease outbreaks in Colombia.

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, displays significant genetic variability revealed by six Discrete Typing Units (TcI-TcVI). In this pathology, oral transmission represents an emerging epidemiological scenario where different outbreaks associated to food/beverages consumption have been reported in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela. In Colombia, six human oral outbreaks have been reported corroborating the importance of this transmission route.

Understanding the role of dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in the transmission dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi genotypes in Colombia.

The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is the most important domestic reservoir of Chagas disease, a zoonosis that affects more than 10 million people in Latin America. Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of the disease, displays remarkable genetic variability, as indicated by its six genotypes (TcI-TcVI). A pilot study was conducted to establish the prevalence of T.

Validation of a Poisson-distributed limiting dilution assay (LDA) for a rapid and accurate resolution of multiclonal infections in natural Trypanosoma cruzi populations.

Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of American trypanosomiasis, a complex zoonotic disease that affects more than 10million people in the Americas. Strains of this parasite possess a significant amount of genetic variability and hence can be divided into at least six discrete typing units (DTUs). The life cycle of this protist suggests that multiclonal infections may emerge due to the likelihood of contact of triatomine insects with more than 100 mammal species.

Natural and emergent Trypanosoma cruzi I genotypes revealed by mitochondrial (Cytb) and nuclear (SSU rDNA) genetic markers.

Chagas disease is a tropical and systemic disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite has been divided into six Discrete Typing Units (DTU's) due to its high genetic diversity. T.

Congenital and oral transmission of American trypanosomiasis: an overview of physiopathogenic aspects.

Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is a pathology affecting about 8-11 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America, more than 300 000 persons in the United States as well as an indeterminate number of people in other non-endemic countries such as USA, Spain, Canada and Switzerland. The aetiological agent is Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan transmitted by multiple routes; among them, congenital route emerges as one of the most important mechanisms of spreading Chagas disease worldwide even in non-endemic countries and the oral route as the responsible of multiple outbreaks of acute Chagas disease in regions where the vectorial route has been interrupted. The aim of this review is to illustrate the recent research and advances in host-pathogen interaction making a model of how the virulence factors of the parasite would interact with the physiology and immune system components of the placental barrier and gastrointestinal tract in order to establish a response against T.

Towards the establishment of a consensus real-time qPCR to monitor Trypanosoma cruzi parasitemia in patients with chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy: a substudy from the BENEFIT trial.

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is an accurate method to quantify Trypanosoma cruzi DNA and can be used to follow-up parasitemia in Chagas disease (CD) patients undergoing chemotherapy. The Benznidazole Evaluation for Interrupting Trypanosomiasis (BENEFIT) study is an international, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of benznidazole (BZ) treatment in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). One important question to be addressed concerns the effectiveness of BZ in reducing overall parasite load in CCC patients, even in the absence of parasitological cure.

Multilocus PCR-RFLP profiling in Trypanosoma cruzi I highlights an intraspecific genetic variation pattern.

Chagas disease represents a serious problem in public health. This zoonotic pathology is caused by the kinetoplastid Trypanosoma cruzi which displays a high genetic diversity falling into six Discrete Typing Units (TcI-TcVI). In Colombia, the prevalent DTU is TcI with findings of TcII, TcIII and TcIV in low proportions.

Contemporary cryptic sexuality in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Clonal propagation is considered to be the predominant mode of reproduction among many parasitic protozoa. However, this assumption may overlook unorthodox, infrequent or cryptic sexuality. Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease, is known to undergo non-Mendelian genetic exchange in the laboratory.

Multiple mitochondrial introgression events and heteroplasmy in trypanosoma cruzi revealed by maxicircle MLST and next generation sequencing.

Background: Mitochondrial DNA is a valuable taxonomic marker due to its relatively fast rate of evolution. In Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, the mitochondrial genome has a unique structural organization consisting of 20-50 maxicircles (∼20 kb) and thousands of minicircles (0.5-10 kb).