Vaccine-Linked Chemotherapy Improves Benznidazole Efficacy for Acute Chagas Disease.

ABSTRACT: Chagas disease affects 6 to 7 million people worldwide, resulting in significant disease burdens and health care costs in countries of endemicity. Chemotherapeutic treatment is restricted to two parasiticidal drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox. Both drugs are highly effective during acute disease but are only minimally effective during chronic disease and fraught with significant adverse clinical effects. In experimental models, vaccines can be used to induce parasite-specific balanced TH1/TH2 immune responses that effectively reduce parasite burdens and associated inflammation while minimizing adverse effects. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of vaccine-linked chemotherapy for reducing the amount of benznidazole required to significantly reduce blood and tissue

SUBMITTER: Jones K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5865041 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature