Investigation of a combination of amiodarone and itraconazole for treatment of American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate clinical, serologic, parasitological, and histologic outcomes of dogs with naturally occurring infection treated for 12 months with amiodarone and itraconazole.

Animals: 121 dogs from southern Texas and southern Louisiana.

Procedures: Treatment group dogs (n = 105) received a combination of amiodarone hydrochloride (approx 7.

Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi by Polymerase Chain Reaction.

American Trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) is an infectious disease caused by the hemoflagellate parasite Trypanosoma cruzi which is transmitted by reduviid bugs. T. cruzi infection occurs in a broad spectrum of reservoir animals throughout North, Central, and South America and usually evolves into an asymptomatic chronic clinical stage of the disease in which diagnosis is often challenging.

Polymerase Chain Reaction Diagnosis of Leishmaniasis: A Species-Specific Approach.

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania which are transmitted to humans through bites of infected sand flies. The variable clinical manifestations and the evolution of the disease are determined by the infecting species. Recognition at a species level is of utmost importance since this greatly impacts therapy decision making as well as predicts outcome for the disease.