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Sustainable Development Goals
03 Saúde e Bem-EstarCollections
- IOC - Artigos de Periódicos [12967]
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LONG TERM FOLLOW-UP OF TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI INFECTION AND CHAGAS DISEASE MANIFESTATIONS IN MICE TREATED WITH BENZNIDAZOLE OR POSACONAZOLE
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Abstract
Chagas’ Disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is responsible for
up to 41% of the heart failures in endemic areas in South America and is an emerging infection
in regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Treatment is suboptimal due to two factors.
First, the lack of an adequate biomarker to predict disease severity and response to
therapy; and second, up to 120-days treatment course coupled with a significant incidence
of adverse effects from the drug currently used. Because the disease can manifest itself clinically
a few years to decades after infection, controversy remains concerning the suitability
of current drug treatment (benznidazole), and the efficacy of alternative drugs (e.g. posaconazole).
We therefore followed the clinical course, and PCR detection of parasite burden, in
a mouse model of infection for a full year following treatment with benznidazole or posaconazole.
Efficacy of the two drugs depended on whether the treatment was performed during
the acute model or the chronic model of infection. Posaconazole was clearly superior in
treatment of acute disease whereas only benznidazole had efficacy in the chronic model.
These results have important implications for the design and analysis of human clinical trials,
and the use of specific drugs in specific clinical settings.
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