Paleopathologists have begun exploring the pathoecology of parasitic diseases in relation to diet and environment. We are summarizing the parasitological findings from a mummy in the site of Lapa do Boquete, a Brazilian cave in the state of Minas Gerais. These findings in context of the archaeology of the site provided insights into the pathoecology of disease transmission in cave and rockshelter environments. We are presenting a description of the site followed by the evidence of hookworm, intestinal fluke, and Trypanosoma infection with resulting Chagas disease in the mummy discovered in the cave. These findings are used to reconstruct the transmission ecology of the site.
Ancylostomatoidea ; Archaeology ; Brazil* ; Chagas Disease ; Diet ; Echinostoma ; Ecology ; Mummies* ; Parasites* ; Parasitic Diseases ; Trematoda ; Trypanosoma

Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease. Epimastigote forms of T. cruzi can be readily cultured in axenic conditions. Ethanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are commonly used solvents employed as vehicles for hydrophobic compounds. In order to produce a reference plot of solvent dependent growth inhibition for T. cruzi research, the growth of epimastigotes was analyzed in the presence of different concentrations of ethanol (0.1–4.0%) and DMSO (0.5–7.5%). The ability of the parasites to resume growth after removal of these solvents was also examined. As expected, both ethanol and DMSO produced a dose-dependent inhibition of cellular growth. Parasites could recover normal growth after 9 days in up to 2% ethanol or 5% DMSO. Since DMSO was better tolerated than ethanol, it is thus recommended to prefer DMSO over ethanol in the case of a similar solubility of a given compound.
Chagas Disease ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide* ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Ethanol* ; Parasites ; Solubility ; Solvents* ; Trypanosoma cruzi* ; Trypanosoma*

Parasitic diseases are widely distributed throughout the world. Recently, travel abroad and migration from abroad are increasing in Korea. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately control imported parasitic disease. The drugs for the treatment of the parasitic diseases that can be imported from abroad are reserved by the government. To guide proper treatment of parasitic diseases, recommended chemotherapy focused on these reserved drugs has been introduced. The diseases reviewed in this article include malaria, babesiosis, toxoplasmosis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness, filariasis, angiostrongyliasis, and fascioliasis. Because most of the parasitic diseases produce severe illness or fatal results, rapid and accurate diagnosis is important and following fully the recommended therapy is needed. The recommended drug therapy changes from time to time due to various factors, so always recognizing and applying the latest therapy and is very important.
Animals ; Babesiosis ; Chagas Disease ; Fascioliasis ; Filariasis ; Korea ; Leishmaniasis ; Malaria ; Parasitic Diseases ; Strongylida Infections ; Toxoplasmosis ; Trypanosomiasis, African

Triatoma rubrofasciata is a wide-spread vector of Chagas disease in Americas. In this study, we completed the mitochondrial genome sequencing of T. rubrofasciata. The total length of T. rubrofasciata mitochondrial genome was 17,150 bp with the base composition of 40.4% A, 11.6% G, 29.4% T and 18.6% C. It included 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and one control region. We constructed a phylogenetic tree on the 13 protein-coding genes of T. rubrofasciata and other 13 closely related species to show their phylogenic relationship. The determination of T. rubrofasciata mitogenome would play an important role in understanding the genetic diversity and evolution of triatomine bugs.
Americas ; Base Composition ; Chagas Disease ; Genes, rRNA ; Genetic Variation ; Genome, Mitochondrial ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Transfer ; Trees ; Triatoma

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and is endemic in many Latin American countries. Diagnosis is based on serologic testing and the WHO recommends two or more serological tests for confirmation. Acidic ribosomal P protein of T. cruzi showed strong reactivity against positive sera of patients, and we cloned the protein after fragmenting it to enhance its antigenicity and solubility. Twelve positive sera of Chagas disease patients were reacted with the fragmented ribosomal P protein using western blot. Detection rate and density for each fragment were determined. Fragments F1R1, F1R2, and F2R1 showed 100% rate of detection, and average density scoring of 2.00, 1.67, and 2.42 from a maximum of 3.0, respectively. Therefore, the F2R1 fragment of the ribosomal P protein of T. cruzi could be a promising antigen to use in the diagnosis of Chagas disease in endemic regions with high specificity and sensitivity.
Blotting, Western ; Chagas Disease ; Clone Cells ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Parasites ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serologic Tests ; Solubility ; Trypanosoma cruzi

BACKGROUND: Chagas' disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite, which is transmitted by blood-sucking bugs or through blood transfusion or organ transplantation. It is endemic in Central and South America. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of immunochromatographic SD Bioline Chagas Ab Rapid (Standard Diagnostics, Korea) with three immunochromatographic kits for the detection of antibodies to T. cruzi. METHODS: A total of 320 serum specimens (140 positive and 180 negative) from National Reference Laboratory for Chagas and Leishmaniasis (NRLCL, Honduras) were used for the evaluation of four different test kits: SD Bioline Chagas Ab Rapid, Chagas Stat-Pak Assay (Chembio Diagnositc Systems, USA), OnSite Chagas Ab Rapid test-Cassette (CTK Biotech, USA), and Trypanosoma Detect Rapid Test (InBios International, USA). The results of four kits were compared with those of NRLCL. Cross-reactivity with other parasites was also evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the results of NRLCL, sensitivity and specificity were 99.3% and 100% for both of SD and Chembio kits, 97.2% and 100% for InBios kit, and 97.9% and 98.8% for CTK kit. None of other parasites showed cross-reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: SD Bioline Chagas Ab Rapid kit showed test results highly correlating with those of National Reference Laboratory for Chagas and Leishmaniasis. It can be used for a rapid detection of Chagas' disease in endemic region and monitoring the disease among overseas travelers in Korea.
Animals ; Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood/immunology ; Blood Specimen Collection ; Chagas Disease/*diagnosis/immunology/parasitology ; Chromatography/methods ; Humans ; *Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Trypanosoma cruzi/*immunology

In the indeterminate chronic period of Chagas disease (ChD) the treatment has not been conclusive, because the serological negativization requires many years. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of nifurtimox (NF) in the treatment of chronic ChD in prolonged follow-up by serological techniques of indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) IgG comparing 2 groups of patients, treated and non treated. Mann-Whitney test was performed for ELISA and IFA, with significant difference between the groups (P < 0.05). IgG levels were lower in individuals treated compared with untreated patients, indicating chemotherapeutic efficacy in prolonged follow-up.
Chagas Disease ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; Nifurtimox ; Trypanosoma cruzi ; Trypanosoma

Trypanosoma cruzi infection results in debilitating cardiomyopathy, which is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the endemic regions of Chagas disease (CD). The pathogenesis of Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCM) has been intensely studied as a chronic inflammatory disease until recent observations reporting the role of cardio-metabolic dysfunctions. In particular, we demonstrated accumulation of lipid droplets and impaired cardiac lipid metabolism in the hearts of cardiomyopathic mice and patients, and their association with impaired mitochondrial functions and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in CD mice. In the present study, we examined whether treating infected mice with an ER stress inhibitor can modify the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy during chronic stages of infection. T. cruzi infected mice were treated with an ER stress inhibitor 2-Aminopurine (2AP) during the indeterminate stage and evaluated for cardiac pathophysiology during the subsequent chronic stage. Our study demonstrates that inhibition of ER stress improves cardiac pathology caused by T. cruzi infection by reducing ER stress and downstream signaling of phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor (P-elF2α) in the hearts of chronically infected mice. Importantly, cardiac ultrasound imaging showed amelioration of ventricular enlargement, suggesting that inhibition of ER stress may be a valuable strategy to combat the progression of cardiomyopathy in Chagas patients.
2-Aminopurine ; Animals ; Cardiomyopathies ; Chagas Disease ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; Heart ; Humans ; Lipid Droplets ; Lipid Metabolism ; Mice ; Mortality ; Pathology ; Peptide Initiation Factors ; Trypanosoma cruzi ; Ultrasonography

This report describes the molecular characterization of the Tc8.2 gene of Trypanosoma cruzi. Both the Tc8.2 gene and its encoded protein were analyzed by bioinformatics, while Northern blot and RT-PCR were used for the transcripts. Besides, immunolocalization of recombinant protein was done by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Analysis indicated the presence of a single copy of Tc8.2 in the T. cruzi genome and 2-different sized transcripts in epimastigotes/amastigotes and trypomastigotes. Immunoblotting showed 70 and 80 kDa polypeptides in epimastigotes and trypomastigotes, respectively, and a differential pattern of immunolocalization. Overall, the results suggest that Tc8.2 is differentially expressed during the T. cruzi life cycle.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Chagas Disease/*parasitology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Humans ; Life Cycle Stages ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protozoan Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Sequence Alignment ; Trypanosoma cruzi/*genetics/*growth & development/isolation & purification/metabolism