T. cruzi Infection. Methods and Protocols

CARLOS A BUSCAGLIA; KARINA A GOMEZ

Humana Press

Lugar: New York; Año: 2019 p. 398

978-1-4939-9147-1

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, alifelong, debilitating illness of major significance throughout Latin America, responsible for ~550,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). T. cruzi transmission primarily occur swhen humans are exposed to the contaminated feces of infected, hematophagous triatominevectors. However, different ecological and demographic issues converged in the last decades to shift the epidemiological landscape for this disease, which is now recognized as an emerging worldwide threat to public health. Despite this enormous toll, solely two trypanocidal drugs are currently available for chemotherapy, and both of them show severe deficiencies. The prospects for the development of an effective vaccine for prophylacticand/or therapeutic purposes, on the other hand, are still clouded by substantial scientific and socioeconomic challenges.This Methods in Molecular Biology book has the intention to provide a detailed description of cutting-edge experimental methods for the study of different aspects of the basic biology of this important parasite as well as its multiple and complex interactions with the human host. These methods have been recently developed or adapted to the T. cruzi system by leading experts in the field of Chagas disease research. Topics raised along the 28 chapters of this Methods in Molecular Biology book are very diverse and range from biochemical/genetic approaches to improve our understanding of T. cruzi diagnosis, treatment, and clinical evaluation to modern, powerful and high-throughput -omics technologies for the exploration of pathogen- and/or infected host-specific molecular signatures. In addition, we have included two overview chapters dealing with the challenges and milestones encountered during assemblage of the T. cruzi genome, and with genome-wide mining strategies aimed at identifying potential parasite antigens and vaccine candidates. Overall, the over riding theme of this volume is that a comprehensive understanding of the biology of T. cruzi as well as of the cross-talk between the parasite and the host immune response is essential for the development of effective diagnostic and treatment tools. From an academic standpoint, this book also aimed to stress that, in addition to its medical and socioeconomic significance, T. cruzi remains an intriguing biological phenomenon. As editors, we express our gratitude to every one of the participating authors for their cooperation and enthusiasm in putting up this volume. We really enjoyed the opportunity to work with such an admired group of colleagues (and to patronize them for a little while). Most importantly, we expect that students, active researchers, and clinicians who are interested in the study of Chagas disease will find this book an indispensable source of information.