K-mer-based approach for serodiagnostic antigen discovery in Chagas disease using unassembled sequencing reads.

ABSTRACT: Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease (CD), exhibits remarkable genetic diversity, classified into six discrete typing units (DTUs), and one additional DTU, TcBat, primarily associated with bats. These DTUs are distributed differentially across CD-endemic regions, posing significant challenges for molecular and serological diagnosis, as test performance often varies geographically. Identifying conserved genomic regions shared among parasites circulating in distinct endemic areas is therefore essential. However, complete or semi-complete genome assemblies are available for only a limited number of strains, insufficiently capturing intra- and inter-DTU variability, particularly within repetitive multigene families. A wealth of raw T. cruzi genomic reads is publicly availab

SUBMITTER: Honorato NRM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12747435 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature