Trypanin Disruption Affects the Motility and Infectivity of the Protozoan .

The flagellum of Trypanosomatids is an organelle that contributes to multiple functions, including motility, cell division, and host-pathogen interaction. Trypanin was first described in and is part of the dynein regulatory complex. Trypanin knockdown parasites showed motility defects in procyclic forms; however, silencing in bloodstream forms was lethal.

Targeting epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi with a peptide isolated from a phage display random library.

Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted by insects of the family Reduviidae. Since conventional treatments with nitroheterocyclic drugs show serious adverse reactions and have questionable efficiency, different research groups have investigated polypeptide-based approaches to interfere with the parasite cell cycle in other Trypanosomatids. These strategies are supported by the fact that surface players are candidates to develop surface ligands that impair function since they may act as virulence factors.

Engineering a single-chain antibody against Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic trypomastigotes to block cell invasion.

Trypanosoma cruzi is a flagellate protozoan pathogen that causes Chagas disease. Currently there is no preventive treatment and the efficiency of the two drugs available is limited to the acute phase. Therefore, there is an unmet need for innovative tools to block transmission in endemic areas.

IgE, IgG1, and IgG4 Reactivity to Glycosylated Extract in Allergic Patients.

Background: House dust mites are important allergen sources and some of these allergenic proteins may contain carbohydrate moieties, which are able to be isolated using lectins, as Concanavalin A (ConA). This study aimed to investigate allergenicity (IgE) and antigenicity (IgG1 and IgG4) of ConA-unbound and ConA-bound (Dpt) crude extracts using sera of mite-allergic patients as well as inhibition capacity of antibody binding.

Material And Methods: We obtained mannose-enriched and mannose-depleted fractions from Dpt by ConA affinity chromatography.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in children with atopy.

Background: Epidemiological studies around the world suggest that infection with Toxocara spp. can contribute to the development or worsening of atopic diseases, especially in children. This study investigated the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in atopic children treated at the pediatric clinic of the Federal University of Uberlândia Clinical Hospital, identifying possible relationships with risk factors.

Modulation of mucosal/systemic antibody response after sublingual immunotherapy in mite-allergic children.

Background: There have been no data on sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in Brazilian patients sensitized to house dust mites. This study aimed to evaluate the mucosal/systemic antibody response changes and clinical efficacy after SLIT using Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt) allergens with or without bacterial extracts in mite-allergic Brazilian children.

Methods: Patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma were selected for a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomized to three groups: DPT (Dpt extract, n = 34), DPT+MRB (Dpt plus mixed respiratory bacterial extracts, n = 36), and Placebo (n = 32).