The Trypomastigote Small Surface Antigen from Trypanosoma cruzi Improves Treatment Evaluation and Diagnosis in Pediatric Chagas Disease.

ABSTRACT: Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi Assessment of parasitological cure upon treatment with available drugs relies on achieving consistent negative results in conventional parasitological and serological tests, which may take years to assess. Here, we evaluated the use of a recombinant T. cruzi antigen termed trypomastigote small surface antigen (TSSA) as an early serological marker of drug efficacy in T. cruzi-infected children. A cohort of 78 pediatric patients born to T. cruzi-infected mothers was included in this study. Only 39 of the children were infected with T. cruzi, and they were immediately treated with trypanocidal drugs. Serological responses against TSSA were evaluated in infected and noninfected populations d

SUBMITTER: Balouz V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5703811 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature