Clinical aspects of Chagas disease and implications for novel therapies.
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Data
2011
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Resumo
The interaction between the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and the human host
dates back 9,000 years, as demonstrated by molecular analysis of material obtained from Andean
mummies indicating the presence of the parasite’s kinetoplast DNA in populations from Chile and Peru.
This long-established interaction, which persists today, demonstrates that T. cruzi has established a very
well adapted relationship with the human host. From the point of view of a host–parasite relationship, this
is desirable; however, such a high degree of adaptation is perhaps the foundation for many of the
unknowns that surround this disease. Unveiling of the immunological mechanisms that underlie the
establishment of pathology, identification of parasite-associated factors that determine strain-differential
tissue tropism, discovery of host genetic elements that influence the development of different clinical forms
of the disease, and understanding environmental factors that may influence the host–parasite interactions
are some of the key questions that remain to be answered. The response to these questions will aid in
addressing some of the current challenges in Chagas disease: fulfilling the need for efficient diagnosis,
developing effective prophylactic measures, discovering effective therapeutics, and finding methods to
control disease progression.
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Pathology, Cardiomyopathy, Treatment, Trypanosoma cruzi
Citação
MENEZES, C. A. da S. et al. Clinical aspects of Chagas disease and implications for novel therapies. Drug Developmental Research, v. 72, p. 471-479, 2011. Disponível em: <https://goo.gl/xh0SgH>. Acesso em: 19 fev. 2017.