Human Trypanosoma cruzi chronic infection leads to individual level steady-state parasitemia: Implications for drug-trial optimization in Chagas disease.

ABSTRACT: Currently available drugs against Trypanosoma cruzi infection, which causes 12000 deaths annually, have limitations in their efficacy, safety and tolerability. The evaluation of therapeutic responses to available and new compounds is based on parasite detection in the bloodstream but remains challenging because a substantial proportion of infected individuals have undetectable parasitemia even when using diagnostic tools with the highest accuracy. We characterize parasite dynamics which might impact drug efficacy assessments in chronic Chagas by analyzing pre- and post-treatment quantitative-PCR data obtained from blood samples collected regularly over a year. We show that parasitemia remains at a steady-state independently of the diagnostic sensitivity. This steady-state can be probabilis

SUBMITTER: De Salazar PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9721471 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature