Open AccessChagas’ disease: an update on immune mechanisms and therapeutic strategies
Author(s) -
Boscardin Silvia Beatriz,
Torrecilhas Ana Claudia Troccoli,
Manarin Romina,
Revelli Silvia,
Rey Elena Gonzalez,
Tonelli Renata Rosito,
Silber Ariel Mariano
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2010.01007.x
Subject(s) - trypanosoma cruzi , chagas disease , immune system , biology , immunology , disease , trypanosomiasis , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , protozoan infection , parasite hosting , medicine , pathology , world wide web , computer science
• Introduction • Chagas’ disease • Chemotherapy • Immune response in experimental T. cruzi infection • Immune response in human beings infected with T. cruzi • Immune response in the treatment of chagasic infection • The need for new therapeutic alternatives for Chagas’ disease • ConclusionsThe final decade of the 20th century was marked by an alarming resurgence in infectious diseases caused by tropical parasites belonging to the kinetoplastid protozoan order. Among the pathogenic trypanosomatids, some species are of particular interest due to their medical importance. These species include the agent responsible for Chagas’ disease, Trypanosoma cruzi . Approximately 8 to 10 million people are infected in the Americas, and approximately 40 million are at risk. In the present review, we discuss in detail the immune mechanisms elicited during infection by T. cruzi and the effects of chemotherapy in controlling parasite proliferation and on the host immune system.