1Department of Molecular Biology of Trypanosoma cruzi, Instituto de Investigaciones Medicas Alfredo Lanari (IDIM, UBA-CONICET), Avenida Combatientes de Malvinas 3150, 1427 Buenos Avies, Argentina 2 Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil 3Deptartemento Biologia Celular e Inmunologia, Inst...

BACKGROUND Trypanosomatid parasites represent a major health issue affecting hundreds of million people worldwide, with clinical treatments that are partially effective and/or very toxic. They are responsible for serious human and plant diseases including Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease), Trypanosoma brucei (Sleeping sickness), Leishmania spp. (Leishmaniasis), and Phytomonas spp. (phytoparasi...

The comprehension of the pathogenesis of Trypanosoma cruzi-elicited myocarditis is crucial to delineate new therapeutic strategies aiming to ameliorate the inflammation that leads to heart dysfunction, without hampering parasite control. The augmented expression of CCL5/RANTES and CCL3/MIP-1alpha, and their receptor CCR5, in the heart of T. cruzi-infected mice suggests a role for CC-chemokines ...

The goals of specific treatment against Trypanosoma cruzi infection, at an individual level, are to eliminate the parasite, to diminish the probability of developing illness (Chagas disease), and to hinder the chain of T. cruzi transmission as actions for the control of vectorial and non vectorial transmission (Sosa Estani 1993). Around 1930, investigations began in Argentina to obtain an effec...