Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases
University of Georgia
CD8+ T cells are key effectors in immune control of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Within C57BL/6 mice, the T. cruzi-specific CD8+ T cell response is largely comprised of T cells recognizing trans-sialidase (TS)- and mucin-encoded epitopes. Despite their immunodominance, these epitope-specific CD8+ T cells are entirely dispensable for immune control. In a screen for epitopes inducing …
Human infections by Trypanosoma cruzi propagate via its blood-feeding triatomine vector. Investigating parasite-vector interactions depends upon robust techniques to rear insects and analyze infections. Here, we present a protocol for laboratory rearing and infection tracking of Rhodnius prolixus. We describe steps for housing, feeding, and sorting strategies using 3D-printable designs. We also detail procedures for …
Trypanosoma cruzi typically establishes a life-long infection in its mammalian hosts, causing the destruction of muscle tissues and ultimately resulting in potentially fatal Chagas disease. In this review, we consider the array of avoidance mechanisms that allow for T. cruzi persistence, many of which are unconventional among protozoan pathogens but which collectively are highly effective …
Researchers secure funding to advance Chagas disease research (News-Medical.net) Investigators are studying Chagas disease with a One Health approach (DVM360) UGA and Texas A&M Researchers tackle Chagas disease in dogs and humans (WUGA) Countable Labs Launches Single-Molecule DNA Counting System, PCR Application (GenomeWeb)
Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, is a parasitic protist that affects millions of people worldwide. Currently there are no fully effective drugs or vaccines available. Contact of T. cruzi infective forms with their host cells or with the extracellular matrix increases their intracellular Ca2+ concentration suggesting a mechano-transduction process. We report here …
Infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is generally well-controlled by host immune responses, but appears to be rarely eliminated. The resulting persistent, low-level infection results in cumulative tissue damage with the greatest impact generally in the heart in the form of chagasic cardiomyopathy. The relative success in immune control of T. cruzi infection usually …
Trypanosoma cruzi is a single-celled eukaryotic parasite responsible for Chagas disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Central and South America. While the host-pathogen interactions of T. cruzi have been extensively studied in vertebrate models, investigations into its interactions within its insect host remain limited. To address this gap and establish a genetically …
While advances in genome editing technologies have simplified gene disruption in many organisms, the study of essential genes requires development of conditional disruption or knockdown systems that are not available in most organisms. Such is the case for Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a severely neglected tropical disease endemic to Latin America …
Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, an infection that can lead to the development of cardiac fibrosis, which is characterized by the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the interstitial region of the myocardium. The parasite itself can induce myofibroblast differentiation of cardiac fibroblast in vitro, leading to increased expression of ECM. …