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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Trypanosoma cruzi Infections
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Recent Advances in Trypanosoma cruzi Infections

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2022) | Viewed by 6575

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. André Talvani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Exact and Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto 35400-000, Brazil
Interests: tropical diseases; Trypanosoma cruzi; toxoplasma gondii; biomarkers; chemotherapy; phototherapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over 112 years of Chagas disease discovery, scientific information about the etiological agent, Trypanosoma cruzi, and strategies to eliminate or contain the progression of the disease in humans are still limited or missing. The political investments ameliorating dwelling and a rigorous control of blood donation banks in recent decades partially broke the advance of T. cruzi infection in Central and South America. In addition, the outbreak of parasite transmission through the consumption of handmade açai in northern Brazil and the emerging cases of seropositive immigrants around the world has raised awareness of its transmissibility and cases of T. cruzi-induced cardiomyopathy.

Anti-T. cruzi pharmacological therapies are also limited and have not been successful due to the genetic complexity and resistance behind parasite populations. However, even with this parasite genetic diversity in focus, the parasite versus mammalian immune response is a promising field of investigation. It has gained new clarity due to the understanding of the molecular structures of the parasite and how host immune response interacts with it, worsening or protecting the pathological and clinical status of the infected host.

This Special Issue seeks manuscripts that propose novel instigations into parasite control by new immune, chemotherapy, or genetic interventions. Of particular interest are the studies in humans and experimental models that use modern immunotherapy tools and propose the identification and mechanism of promising biomarkers or even alternative strategies capable of blocking parasite replication, modulating immune responses, and ameliorating pathological and cardiac clinical conditions.

We seek original research, reviews, and brief reports that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • The application of lipid and protein mediators in T. cruzi-induced cardiovascular damage.
  • Research into therapies with synthetic or natural compounds or even with current routine medicines to evaluate their efficacy on parasite control, immune response, and clinical status.
  • Research involving host–parasite interactions.
  • Investigations of knockdown or overexpression of genes related to the immune response during the pathogenesis of human or experimental Chagas disease.
  • Research involving signal transduction during T. cruzi infection.
  • New interventive propositions (dietary, physical exercise, and alternative therapies) with consistent immunopathological and/or clinical data to promote the benefits to the lifestyle of the infected host.

Prof. Dr. André Talvani
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Trypanosoma cruzi
  • cardiomyopathy
  • biomarkers
  • therapeutic interventions

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 253 KiB  
Editorial
Experimental Trypanosoma cruzi Infection and Chagas Disease—A Word of Caution
by André Talvani and Mauro Martins Teixeira
Microorganisms 2023, 11(6), 1613; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061613 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 949
Abstract
The physician Carlos Chagas (1879–1934) described the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and discovered a new illness named American trypanosomiases or Chagas disease (Chagas, 1909) [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Trypanosoma cruzi Infections)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

12 pages, 782 KiB  
Article
Biomakers in Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy
by Angela Braga Rodrigues, Henrique Oswaldo da Gama Torres, Maria do Carmo Pereira Nunes, Juliana de Assis Silva Gomes, Aline Braga Rodrigues, Laura Lopes Nogueira Pinho, Manoel Otavio Rocha and Fernando Antonio Botoni
Microorganisms 2022, 10(8), 1602; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10081602 - 09 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1666
Abstract
The primary objective was to observe the relationship between serum levels of BNP, Ca-125, C-reactive protein and uric acid as prognostic and functional markers in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). Circulating levels of cytokines: IL-1β, TNFα, IL-10, IL6, IL-8 and IL-12 were [...] Read more.
The primary objective was to observe the relationship between serum levels of BNP, Ca-125, C-reactive protein and uric acid as prognostic and functional markers in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). Circulating levels of cytokines: IL-1β, TNFα, IL-10, IL6, IL-8 and IL-12 were determined and investigated regarding their association with hemodynamic parameters, clinical signs of heart failure and outcome. Chagas is still a neglected disease that affects numerous individuals, many of them in their most productive years. CCC with left ventricular dysfunction is the most severe presentation of Chagas Disease. BNP is a well-recognized prognostic and clinical biomarker, not only in chronic heart failure patients but also in patients with CCC. Previous studies have shown Ca-125, C-reactive protein, and uric acid to be potentially good prognostic markers in heart failure (HF). Fifty patients with left ventricular fraction less (LVEF) than 55% were selected and followed for a mean period of 18 ± 8.3 months. Patient’s mean age was 43.42 ± 10.3 years (32 male), their BNP was 293 (160–530) pg/mL, Ca-125 8.5 (5.5–16.75) U/mL, uric acid 6.2 ± 2 mg/dL, and C- reactive protein 4.5 (4.5–7.3) mg/L. Patients who had LVEF less than 35% had higher BNP (p = 0.0023), Ca-125 (p = 0.027) and uric acid (p = 0.01) serum levels. Patients who died also showed higher BNP (p = 0.01), uric acid (p = 0.05) and a trend towards higher Ca-125 serum levels (p = 0.056). All markers: BNP, Ca-125, uric acid and C-reactive had good predictability of death in Cox-regression univariate analysis, however, not on the final multivariate model. Of the inflammatory cytokines, IL-8 and IL-12 showed a relation to LVEF of less than 35%. IL-12 was related to adverse cardiovascular events and non-survival. IL-1β was a good predictor of mortality in the final Cox regression model. Determination of Ca-125, uric acid levels and C-reactive protein may add useful clinical and prognostic information and may help clinical decision making for patients with CCC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Trypanosoma cruzi Infections)
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9 pages, 401 KiB  
Article
Comparison of the Influence of Different Nucleic Acid Extraction Assays on the Sensitivity of Trypanosoma cruzi-Specific Real-Time PCR
by Simone Kann, Wendy Zabala-Monterroza, Cenia García, Gustavo Concha, Olfert Landt, Andreas Hahn, Felix Weinreich and Hagen Frickmann
Microorganisms 2022, 10(8), 1554; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10081554 - 31 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1381
Abstract
For the molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease by real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction), optimization of diagnostic accuracy is desirable. The detection limit of real-time PCR assays for the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi in human serum is affected by various influences including the choice [...] Read more.
For the molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease by real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction), optimization of diagnostic accuracy is desirable. The detection limit of real-time PCR assays for the diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi in human serum is affected by various influences including the choice of the nucleic acid extraction assay. In this study, three nucleic acid extraction assays were compared regarding their influence on the sensitivity of a T. cruzi-specific real-time PCR with 62 reference sera containing T. cruzi target DNA (deoxyribonucleotide acid). More than 95% of the positive sera were correctly identified after all three nucleic acid extraction strategies with a detection rate ranging from 96.8% (60/62) for the worst assay to 100% (62/62) for the best one. A matched pairs analysis for the comparison of the cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained with the 59 reference samples with positive real-time PCR results after all three nucleic acid extraction schemes indicated differences in a range of about 3 Ct steps. Summarized, all three compared nucleic acid extraction schemes were basically suitable for T. cruzi-specific PCR from serum with some minor differences. However, in the case of low quantities of circulating parasite DNA in the serum of a patient with Chagas disease, even minor effects can make a difference in the individual diagnosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Trypanosoma cruzi Infections)
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12 pages, 5680 KiB  
Article
Diagnosis and Prevalence of Chagas Disease in an Indigenous Population of Colombia
by Simone Kann, Juan Carlos Dib, Andrés Aristizabal, Gustavo Concha Mendoza, Hugo Dario Soto Lacouture, Maria Hartmann, Hagen Frickmann and Lothar Kreienbrock
Microorganisms 2022, 10(7), 1427; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071427 - 14 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1728
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD) is one of the leading neglected tropical diseases. In the Americas, CD is endemic in about 21 countries, but only less than 1% of the patients have access to medical treatment. Indigenous populations are particularly affected because they live in [...] Read more.
Chagas disease (CD) is one of the leading neglected tropical diseases. In the Americas, CD is endemic in about 21 countries, but only less than 1% of the patients have access to medical treatment. Indigenous populations are particularly affected because they live in socio-economic and climate conditions that favor CD infections. In this study, diagnostic strategies and regional prevalence of the Chagas disease were assessed. In nine villages of the indigenous tribe Wiwa, 1134 persons were tested with a Chagas-antibody-specific rapid test (RT), two different Chagas-antibody-specific ELISAs and a Chagas-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction. The overall prevalence of CD in the villages was 35.4%, with a variation from 24.9% to 52.8% for the different communities. Rapid tests and ELISAs showed the same results in all cases. The proportion of replication-active infections, defined by positive PCR results, was 8.7%. In conclusion, the assessed indigenous population in Colombia was shown to be severely affected by CD. For a serological diagnosis, one rapid test was shown to be sufficient. Replacements of ELISAs by RT would decrease costs, increase feasibility and would relevantly help detect positive patients, especially if combined with the applied real-time PCR protocol. Real-time PCR can be considered for the detection of acute cases, outbreaks, chronic cases with re-infection/activation, as well as for therapy management and control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Trypanosoma cruzi Infections)
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