Translating Chagasic dilating cardiomyopathy to surgical therapies: An under published global challenge.

Chagas disease is a neglected parasitic anthropozoonosis of the Americas linked to social deprivation with no hope of eradication in the future. Having been the most common non-ischemic cause of dilating cardiomyopathy in Latin America, it now spreads beyond the geographical boundaries of its vector via imported and autochthonous transmission. We review the evidence on surgery in Chagasic heart failure and offer a brief narrative on the main aspects of translational management.

Tropical diseases of the myocardium: a review.

Cardiovascular diseases are widely distributed throughout the world. Human parasitic infections are ubiquitous. Tropical parasites are increasingly recognized as causes of cardiovascular diseases.

Immune resistance and tolerance strategies in malaria vector and non-vector mosquitoes.

Background: The Anopheles gambiae complex consists of species that vary greatly in their capacity to transmit malaria. The mosquito immune system has been identified as a key factor that can influence whether Plasmodium infection establishes within the mosquito vector. This study was designed to investigate the immune responses of An.

Detection of viable plasmodium ookinetes in the midguts of anopheles coluzzi using PMA-qrtPCR.

Background: Mosquito infection with malaria parasites depends on complex interactions between the mosquito immune response, the parasite developmental program and the midgut microbiota. Simultaneous monitoring of the parasite and bacterial dynamics is important when studying these interactions. PCR based methods of genomic DNA (gDNA) have been widely used, but their inability to discriminate between live and dead cells compromises their application.