Chagas' disease, produced by Trypanosoma cruzi, affects more than 8 million people, producing approximately 10,000 deaths each year in Latin America. Migration of people from endemic regions to developed countries has expanded the risk of infection, transforming this disease into a globally emerging problem. PGE₂ and other eicosanoids contribute to cardiac functional deficits after infection with T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNifurtimox and benznidazole are the only active drugs against Trypanosoma cruzi; however, they have limited efficacy and severe side effects. During primoinfection, T. cruzi infected macrophages mount an antiparasitic response, which the parasite evades through an increase of tumor growth factor beta and PGE(2) activation as well as decreased iNOS activity.
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