BookJaime Marcelo Altcheh, Hector Freilij, editors.
Summary: Chagas disease is a potentially life threatening condition that was historically mainly endemic to Latin America. Over the last decade, however, the disease has spread to and is increasingly prevalent in other continents such as North America and Europe, with an estimated 7 million people infected worldwide. It is primarily transmitted by insect vectors that carry the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the disease agent. In areas where there is vector control and in non-endemic countries, it is mainly transmitted via congenital infection. Cardiac and gastrointestinal complications are common in untreated individuals. This book offers a comprehensive overview of Chagas disease, including its vectorial and congenital transmission, and molecular diagnosis, which is essential for screening, and developing and providing timely, effective anti-trypanosomal treatment. Written by experts working with infected patients on a daily basis, it discusses the pathogenesis of congenital, cardiac, gastrointestinal and oral Chagas disease, as well as its treatment and the pharmacological aspects of drug development in this area. The chapter, 'Chagas Disease Treatment Efficacy Biomarkers: Myths and Realities is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Contents:
Intro; Preface I; Preface II; Contents; Part I: Overview; Chagas Disease: Past, Present, and Future; 1 Transmission Ways; 1.1 Vectorial; 1.2 Transplacental; 1.3 Oral Chagas Disease; 1.4 Transfusion; 2 Immune Status of the Patient; 3 Phases of the Disease; 4 Diagnosis and Progression Markers; 5 Cure in Chagas Disease; 6 Anti-parasitic Drugs; 7 Other Drugs?; 8 Endemic Rural Area; 9 Patient Care; 10 New Research; References; Part II: The Agent; Trypanosoma cruzi Journey from the Insect Vector to the Host Cell; 1 The Etiological Agent; 1.1 Parasitic Stages; 1.2 Parasite Body 1.3 Taxonomic Classification1.4 Intraspecific Variation; 1.5 T. cruzi Surface Molecules; 2 Intermediate Host; 2.1 Taxonomic Classification; 2.2 Main Species of Vectors and Geographic Distribution; 2.3 Biological Cycle of the Insect Vector; 3 Trypanosoma cruzi Life Cycle; 3.1 Domestic Cycle; 3.2 Sylvatic Life Cycle; 4 Non-vectorial Pathways of T. cruzi Infection; 4.1 Blood Transfusions; 4.2 Congenital or Connatal Route; 4.3 Organ or Tissue Transplantation; 4.4 Oral Route; 4.5 Laboratory Accidents; 5 The Parasite in the Insect Vector; 5.1 Metacyclogenesis 3.2.1 Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and Elimination of the Intracellular Forms of T. cruzi3.2.2 Helper T Cells and Specific Immune Response Modulation; 3.3 Human Immune Response After Anti-parasitic Treatment; References; Part III: Epidemiology; Epidemiology of Chagas Disease; 1 Introduction; 2 The Vectors; 3 The Parasite; 4 Possible Routes of Dissemination of Domestic Vector Species; 4.1 Triatoma infestans; 4.2 Panstrongylus megistus; 4.3 Rhodnius prolixus; 4.4 Triatoma brasiliensis; 4.5 Triatoma dimidiata; 5 Transmission and Infection; 6 Mother-to-Child Transmission 5.2 Selectivity Among the Parasitic Populations and the Vectors6 The Mammalian Host; 6.1 Any Cell Can Be Host of T. cruzi; 6.2 Navigating Across the Extracellular Matrix; 6.3 Attaching to the Host Cell Surface; 6.3.1 Role of Gp82 and Gp90 in Oral Infection; 6.3.2 Role of Gp85/TS in Adhesion and Survival into Mammalian Host Cells; 7 One Parasite with Multiple Mechanisms to Enter the Host Cell; 7.1 Lysosomal-Dependent Exocytic Pathway; 7.2 Endocytic Pathway; 7.3 The Autophagic Mode of Entry; 7.4 Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Signaling and the Parasitophorous Vacuole 8 How to Survive Inside a Professional Phagocytic Cell?9 The Parasitophorous Vacuole (PV); 9.1 PV Always Ends Up as a Lysosomal Compartment; 9.2 Degradation of the PV and Cytosolic Settlement; 10 Parasite Differentiation; 11 Extracellular Amastigote Entry to the Host Cells; 12 Concluding Remarks; References; A Panoramic View of the Immune Response to Trypanosoma cruzi Infection; 1 Introduction; 2 Innate Immunity; 2.1 Complement System; 2.2 Macrophages and Neutrophils; 2.3 Dendritic Cells; 2.4 Natural Killer Lymphocytes; 3 Adaptive Immunity; 3.1 B Lymphocytes; 3.2 T Lymphocytes