Trypanosoma cruzi 80 kDa Prolyl oligopeptidase (Tc80) confers protection against Chagas disease

BIVONA A; SANCHEZ ALVERTI A; CERNY N; CARDOZO LANDABURU A; GONZALES G; MORALES C; CAZORLA SI; MALCHIODI E

Congreso; IV International Congress in Translational Medicine; 2018

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that affects more than 8 million people around the world. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is generally performed too late, when anti-parasitic drugs are no longer effective. About 30± 40% of infected individuals progress toward a symptomatic stage with cardiomyopathy as the main manifestation, leading annually to approximately 12,000 deaths. Therefore, new strategies for the control of the parasite must be explored. In this context, prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination has arisen as an interesting alternative to control the disease. In the present work, we present a parasite virulence factor (T. cruzi 80 kDa prolyl oligopeptidase, Tc80) as a new antigen for vaccine development against Chagas disease. Tc80- immunized mice developed a strong specific humoral and cellular immune response and most importantly were protected against Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Upon T. cruzi challenge, vaccinated mice presented a reduced parasite burden and less indicators of tissue damage. These results make Tc80 an interesting candidate to develop a mono or multicomponent vaccine against Chagas disease.