Navegando por Autor "Chiari, Egler"
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Item Activity of the new triazole derivative albaconazole against Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) cruzi in dog hosts.(2004) Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Urbina, Julio Alberto; Lana, Marta de; Afonso, Luís Carlos Crocco; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Tafuri, Washington Luiz; Coelho, George Luiz Lins Machado; Chiari, Egler; Bahia, Maria TerezinhaAlbaconazole is an experimental triazole derivative with potent and broad-spectrum antifungal activity and a remarkably long half-life in dogs, monkeys, and humans. In the present work, we investigated the in vivo activity of this compound against two strains of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas’ disease, using dogs as hosts. The T. cruzi strains used in the study were previously characterized (murine model) as susceptible (strain Berenice-78) and partially resistant (strain Y) to the drugs currently in clinical use, nifurtimox and benznidazole. Our results demonstrated that albaconazole is very effective in suppressing the proliferation of the parasite and preventing the death of infected animals. Furthermore, the parasitological, PCR, serological, and proliferative assay results indicated parasitological cure indices of 25 and 100% among animals inoculated with T. cruzi strain Y when they were treated with albaconazole at 1.5 mg/kg of body weight/day for 60 and 90 days, respectively. On the other hand, although albaconazole given at 1.5 mg/kg/day was very effective in suppressing the proliferation of the parasite in animals infected with the Berenice-78 T. cruzi strain, no parasitological cure was observed among them, even when a longer treatment period (150 doses) was used. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that albaconazole has trypanocidal activity in vivo and is capable of inducing radical parasitological cure, although natural resistance to this compound was also indicated. Furthermore, the compound can be used in long-term treatment schemes (60 to 150 days) with minimal toxicity and thus represents a potentially useful candidate for the treatment of human Chagas’ disease.Item Characterization of two isolates of Trypanosoma cruzi obtained from the patient Berenice, the first human case of Chagas disease.(1996) Lana, Marta de; Chiari, Cléa de Andrade; Chiari, Egler; Morel, Carlos Medicis; Gonçalves, Antônio M.; Romanha, Alvaro JoséTwo isolates of Trypanosoma cruzi were obtained from the patient Berenice, the first human case of Chagas’ disease (Chagas 1909), when she was 55 and 71 years old, respectively. The isolates were characterized on the basis of their epimastigote-trypomastigote differentiation in liquid media and of the electrophoretic pattern of EcoR1 digestion products of kinetoplast DNA (k- DNA) minicircles (schizodeme) and isoenzyme patterns (zymodeme). Clear differences were found between the isolates, suggesting the occurrence of a heterogeneous population of T. cruzi in the infection of this patient.Item Complete assignments of 1h and 13c nmr data for trypanocidal eremantholide c oxide derivatives.(2007) Guimarães, Dênia Antunes Saúde; Perry, Katia da Silva Peixoto; Raslan, Delio Soares; Chiari, Egler; Barrero, Alejandro Fernández; Oltra, Juan EnriqueThe chemical transformations of eremantholide C (1), a trypanocidal sesquiterpene lactone isolated from Lychnophora trichocarpha Spreng., gave five new oxide derivatives: 3 -hydroxyeremantholide C (2), 1 -formyleremantholide C (3), 1 -carboxyeremantholide C (4), 1 -carbomethoxyeremantholide C (5) and sodium 1 -carboxylate of eremantholide C (6). The 1H and 13C NMR data of all these derivatives were assigned based on 1D and 2D techniques. The derivatives were evaluated against Y and CL strains of Trypanosoma cruzi. All of them were inactive against the Y strain. Compounds 2 and 5 displayed 100% activity on the CL strain while compounds 4 and 6were partially active on the CL strain. Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Item Development of chronic cardiomyopathy in canine Chagas disease correlates with high IFN-g, TNF-a, and low IL-10 production during the acute infection phase.(2009) Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Afonso, Luís Carlos Crocco; Caliari, Marcelo Vidigal; Carneiro, Cláudia Martins; Diniz, Lívia de Figueiredo; Silva, Eduardo de Almeida Marques da; Caldas, Ivo Santana; Matta, Maria Adelaide do Valle; Souza, Sheler Martins de; Lana, Marta de; Chiari, Egler; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da Cunha; Bahia, Maria TerezinhaWhen infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, Beagle dogs develop symptoms similar to those of Chagas disease in human beings, and could be an important experimental model for a better understanding of the immunopathogenic mechanisms involved in chronic chagasic infection. This study evaluates IL-10, IFN-g and TNF-a production in the sera, culture supernatant, heart and cervical lymph nodes and their correlation with cardiomegaly, cardiac inflammation and fibrosis in Beagle dogs infected with T. cruzi. Pathological analysis showed severe splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and myocarditis in all infected dogs during the acute phase of the disease, with cardiomegaly, inflammation and fibrosis observed in 83% of the animals infected by T. cruzi during the chronic phase. The data indicate that infected animals producing IL-10 in the heart during the chronic phase and showing high IL-10 production in the culture supernatant and serum during the acute phase had lower cardiac alterations (myocarditis, fibrosis and cardiomegaly) than those with high IFN-g and TNF-a levels. These animals produced low IL-10 levels in the culture supernatant and serum during the acute phase and did not produce IL-10 in the heart during the chronic phase of the disease. Our findings showed that Beagle dogs are a good model for studying the immunopathogenic mechanism of Chagas disease, since they reproduce the clinical and immunological findings described in chagasic patients. The data suggest that the development of the chronic cardiac form of the disease is related to a strong Th1 response during the acute phase of the disease, while the development of the indeterminate form results from a blend of Th1 and Th2 responses soon after infection, suggesting that the acute phase immune response is important for the genesis of chronic cardiac lesions.Item Experimental Chagas' disease in dogs.(1992) Lana, Marta de; Chiari, Egler; Tafuri, Washington LuizItem Fase crônica cardíaca fibrosante da Tripanossomíase cruzi experimental no cão.(1988) Lana, Marta de; Tafuri, Washington Luiz; Caliari, Marcelo Vidigal; Bambirra, Eduardo Alves; Chiari, Cléa de Andrade; Leite, Virginea Hora Rios; Barbosa, Alfredo José Afonso; Toledo, Max Jean de Ornelas; Chiari, EglerDe acordo com os trabalhos publicados ate o momento, o cão esta sendo considerado, com ressalvas, como modelo ideal para o estudo da fase aguda e crônica indeterminada da tripanossomiase cruz jl 2 3 4 5 6 7 14 15 18 19 20 21 24 Os requisitos para um modelo ideal, estabelecidos pelo Comite de Doenca de Chagas do Programa Especial de Treinamento e Pesquisa de Doenças Parasitarias da Organização Mundial de Saude25 podem ser assim discriminados: permitir o isolamento do parasito ao longo do curso da infecção; apresentar reações sorológicas positivas, indicativas da persistência da infecção; apresentar manifestações clinicas da doença de Chagas crônica; desenvolver miocardite, miosite e outras alterações patológicas que caracterizam a doença; induzir a resposta imune contra tecido do hospedeiro. Há mais de oito anos estamos a procura de um modelo que não somente preencha todos os requisitos acima citados mas, principalmente, que desenvolva a cardiopatia grave evolutiva fibrosante com todas alterações clinicas observadas na forma humana. Ate o momento, os resultados que encontramos parecem indicar que alcançamos tal objetivo no modelo cão. A partir destes resultados e dos de outros autores, tentaremos aplicar metodologia moderna no estudo dos vários fatores patogeneticos no pressuposto de que, assim, será possível chegar ao esclarecimento da patogenia e de fisiopatologia das diferentes formas anatomoclinicas da doença. Dentre os numerosos fatores patogeneticos ate agora aventados, a fibrose nos parece o mais importante na determinação da insuficiência cardíaca congestiva (ICC) e da aperistalse. Não existe qualquer outra cardiopatia e/ou mega com aspecto tão peculiar. No miocárdio bem como nos megas, a fibrose (fibrilopoese) e focal e difusa ao mesmo tempo23. O presente trabalho tem a finalidade de documentar a fase crônica da doença de Chagas em cães que recebem inóculos diversos das cepas Colombiana13 e Berenice-7817 de T. cruzi, destacando aqueles animais que desenvolveram a cardiopatia fibrosante, com sinais e sintomas clínicos de ICC.Item Further genetic characterization of the two Trypanosoma cruzi Berenice strains (Be-62 and Be-78) isolated from the first human case of Chagas disease (Chagas, 1909).(2006) Cruz, Ruth Elizabeth; Macedo, Andréa Mara; Barnabé, Christian; Freitas, Jorge Marcelo de; Chiari, Egler; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Carneiro, Cláudia Martins; Bahia, Maria Terezinha; Tafuri, Washington Luiz; Lana, Marta deWe describe here an extension of a previous genetic characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi strains (Be-62 and Be-78) isolated from the patient Berenice, the first human case of Chagas disease [Chagas, C., 1909. Nova Tripanom´ıase humana. Estudos sobre morfologia e o ciclo evolutivo do Schizotrypanum cruzi, n. gen., n. sp., agente etiol´ojico da nova entidade morbida do homem. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz 1, 159–218]. We wanted to verify the composition of T. cruzi populations originated from these two isolates. In the present work, 22 enzymatic loci (MLEE), nine RAPD primers and 7 microsatellite loci were analyzed. Clones from both strains were also characterized to verify whether these strains are mono or polyclonal. Be-62 and Be-78 strains were different in 3 out of 22 enzymatic systems, in 3 out of 9 RAPD primers tested and in all microsatellite loci investigated. However, our data suggests that both strains are phylogenetically closely related, belonging to genetic group 32 from Tibayrenc and Ayala [Tibayrenc, M., Ayala, F.J., 1988. Isoenzime variability in Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas’ disease: genetical, taxonomical, and epidemiological significance. Evolution 42, 277–292], equivalent to zymodeme 2 and T. cruzi II major lineage which, in Brazil, comprises parasites from the domestic cycle of the disease. Microsatellite analyses showed differences betweenthe parental strains but suggested that both populations are monoclonal since each strain and their respective clones showed the same amplification products.Item Genetic modulation in Be-78 and Y Trypanosoma cruzi strains after long-term infection in Beagle dogs revealed by molecular markers.(2012) Veloso, Vanja Maria; Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Lana, Marta de; Martins, Helen Rodrigues; Carneiro, Cláudia Martins; Câmara, Antônia Cláudia Jácome da; D’Ávila, Daniella Alchaar; Caldas, Ivo Santana; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da Cunha; Chiari, Egler; Bahia, Maria TerezinhaThe genetic profile of Trypanosoma cruzi was evaluated in parasite populations isolated from Beagle dogs experimentally infected with Be-78 and Y strains that present distinct biological and genetic characteristics. Molecular characterization of the isolates obtained 30 days and 2 years after infection was carried out. For typing MLEE, sequence polymorphisms of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene (COII) and RAPD profiles were used. The profiles of MLEE were the same for the parental Be-78 strains as their respective isolates. However, changes of MLEE profile were observed in two T. cruzi isolates from dogs inoculated with Y strain. Changes in the mitochondrial DNA (COII) and RAPD profiles of the Y strain were also observed. The dendogram constructed by UPGMA with RAPD results indicated two major branches. Global data show that the genetic modulation in polyclonal strains during the long-term infection occurred and was strain-dependent. This study still suggests that each host (here each dog) harbors a determinate T. cruzi population that may change or be modulated throughout long-term infection. This might to hinder the observation of correlation between the genetics of T. cruzi and their biological properties and behavior in different host species due to the complexity of the parasite-host interaction in which probably the genetic background of both should be considered.Item Genetic profiling of Trypanosoma cruzi directly in infected tissues using nested PCR of polymorphic microsatellites.(2008) Pimenta, Juliana Ramos; Freitas, Jorge Marcelo de; Duffy, Tomás; Bartholomeu, Daniella Castanheira; Oliveira, Riva de Paula; Chiari, Egler; Moreira, Maria da Consolação Vieira; Brasileiro Filho, Geraldo; Schijman, Alejandro Gabriel; Franco, Glória Regina; Machado, Carlos Renato; Pena, Sérgio Danilo Junho; Macedo, Andréa MaraThe investigation of the importance of the genetics of Trypanosoma cruzi in determining the clinical course of Chagas disease will depend on precise characterisation of the parasites present in the tissue lesions. This can be adequately accomplished by the use of hypervariable nuclear markers such as microsatellites. However the unilocal nature of these loci and the scarcity of parasites in chronic lesions make it necessary to use high sensitivity PCR with nested primers, whose design depends on the availability of long flanking regions, a feature not hitherto available for any known T. cruzi microsatellites. Herein, making use of the extensive T. cruzi genome sequence now available and using the Tandem Repeats Finder software, it was possible to identify and characterise seven new microsatellite loci – six composed of trinucleotide (TcTAC15, TcTAT20, TcAAT8, TcATT14, TcGAG10 and TcCAA10) and one composed of tetranucleotide (TcAAAT6) motifs. All except the TcCAA10 locus were physically mapped onto distinct intergenic regions of chromosome III of the CL Brener clone contigs. The TcCAA10 locus was localised within a hypothetical protein gene in the T. cruzi genome. All microsatellites were polymorphic and useful for T. cruzi genetic variability studies. Using the TcTAC15 locus it was possible to separate the strains belonging to the T. cruzi I lineage (DTU I) from those belonging to T. cruzi II (DTU IIb), T. cruzi III (DTU IIc) and a hybrid group (DTU IId, IIe). The long flanking regions of these novel microsatellites allowed construction of nested primers and the use of full nested PCR protocols. This strategy enabled us to detect and differentiate T. cruzi strains directly in clinical specimens including heart, blood, CSF and skin tissues from patients in the acute and chronic phases of Chagas disease.Item Hematological alterations during experimental canine infection by Trypanosoma cruzi.(2012) Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Mineo, Tiago Wilson Patriarca; Silva, Juliana Santiago; Crepalde, Geovam Pereira; Caldas, Ivo Santana; Nascimento, Manuela Sales Lima; Lana, Marta de; Chiari, Egler; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da Cunha; Bahia, Maria TerezinhaPara confirmar que cães Beagle são um bom modelo para doença de Chagas, foram avaliadas as alterações hematológicas durante as fases aguda e crônica em cães Beagle infectados com as cepas Y, Berenice-78 (Be-78) e ABC de Trypanosoma cruzi, correlacionando os sinais clínicos com a curva de parasitemia. Foi demonstrado que a fase aguda da infecção foi marcada por letargia e perda de apetite. Simultaneamente, observou-se anemia, leucocitose e linfocitose. Ainda, foram descritas alterações hematológicas e sinais clínicos positivamente correlacionados com a parasitemia durante a infecção experimental com as três cepas de T. cruzi estudadas, demonstrando que a infecção em cães Beagle constitui um modelo fidedigno para a doença de Chagas.Item Hemocultures for the parasitological diagnosis of human chronic Chagas' disease.(1989) Chiari, Egler; Dias, João Carlos Pinto; Lana, Marta de; Chiari, Cléa de AndradeWith the purpose of standardization of an hemoculture technique presenting a higher positive rate in the parasitological diagnosis of chronic Chagas’ disease in patients with reactive serology (IFT, HA, CFT) the following schedule was used. Thirty ml of venous blood was collected with heparin and the plasma was separated by centrifugation (2.000 rpm/30'). The packed cells were washed with LIT medium or PBS which was then removed by centrifugation (2.000 rpm/15’). This material was sampled in 6 screw-tubes 18x200 with 6 ml of LIT medium and incubated at 28°C. These incubated cultures at 28°C were examined after 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. When the hemoculture was not immediately processed after blood collection, the plasma was removed and the sediment enriched with LIT medium and preserved at 4°C. The Xenodiagnosis was performed according to Schenones method used here as a reference technique. Among the various groups of patients examined by both techniques the best results obtained were: 55.08% ofpositivity for hemocultures against 27.5% forxenodiagnosis (X^ = 4.54, p = 0.05), with a tubepositivity of 26.6%. Recommendation for screening trials of drug assays is the repetition of method on a same patient 2 or more times in different occasions, as used in xenodiagnosis.Item Humoral immune response in dogs experimentally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.(1991) Lana, Marta de; Vieira, Lauro Mello; Coelho, George Luiz Lins Machado; Chiari, Egler; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Tafuri, Washington LuizItem IgG isotype profile is correlated with cardiomegaly in Beagle dogs infected with distinct Trypanosoma cruzi strains.(2008) Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Gollob, Kenneth John; Afonso, Luís Carlos Crocco; Caldas, Ivo Santana; Vianna, Priscila; Lana, Marta de; Chiari, Egler; Bahia, Maria Terezinha; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da CunhaA systematic study following infection by various strains of the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, and the simultaneous monitoring of the humoral immune response together with the elicited cellular response, could add greatly to our understanding of differences between strains of this important human pathogen. In that sense, acute and chronic infections with distinct T. cruzi strains (Y, Berenice-78 and ABC) in Beagle dogs were studied through a longitudinal evaluation of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1 and IgG2 isotypes (by ELISA and flow cytometry (FC)), as well as measurements of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation over a 100-week period, and their correlation with cardiomegaly. Our results show that infected animals presenting cardiomegaly showed lower or absent levels of IgG1 during the chronic phase of the infection, when compared to those that did not show an increase in heart weight. In that manner, our results suggest that IgG1 could be used as a marker for cardiac pathogenicity in Chagas disease.Item In vitro and in vivo experimental models for drug screening and development for Chagas disease.(2010) Romanha, Alvaro José; Castro, Solange Lisboa de; Soeiro, Maria de Nazaré Correia; Vieira, Joseli Lannes; Ribeiro, Isabela; Silva, André Talvani Pedrosa da; Bourdin, Bernadette; Blum, Bethania; Olivieri, Bianca; Zani, Carlos Leomar; Spadafora, Carmenza; Chiari, Egler; Chatelain, Eric; Chaves, Gabriela; Calzada, José Eduardo; Bustamante, Juan Manuel; Freitas Junior, Lucio Holanda Godim de; Romero, Luz I.; Bahia, Maria Terezinha; Lotrowska, Michel; Soares, Milena Botelho Pereira; Andrade, Sonia Gumes; Lotrowska, Tanya; Degrave, Wim; Andrade, Zilton de AraújoChagas disease, a neglected illness, affects nearly 12-14 million people in endemic areas of Latin America. Al¬though the occurrence of acute cases sharply has declined due to Southern Cone Initiative efforts to control vector transmission, there still remain serious challenges, including the maintenance of sustainable public policies for Chagas disease control and the urgent need for better drugs to treat chagasic patients. Since the introduction of benznidazole and nifurtimox approximately 40 years ago, many natural and synthetic compounds have been as¬sayed against Trypanosoma cruzi, yet only a few compounds have advanced to clinical trials. This reflects, at least in part, the lack of consensus regarding appropriate in vitro and in vivo screening protocols as well as the lack of biomarkers for treating parasitaemia. The development of more effective drugs requires (i) the identification and validation of parasite targets, (ii) compounds to be screened against the targets or the whole parasite and (iii) a panel of minimum standardised procedures to advance leading compounds to clinical trials. This third aim was the topic of the workshop entitled Experimental Models in Drug Screening and Development for Chagas Disease, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 25th and 26th of November 2008 by the Fiocruz Program for Research and Technological Development on Chagas Disease and Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative. During the meeting, the minimum steps, requirements and decision gates for the determination of the efficacy of novel drugs for T. cruzi control were evaluated by interdisciplinary experts and an in vitro and in vivo flowchart was designed to serve as a general and standardised protocol for screening potential drugs for the treatment of Chagas disease.Item Increased type 1 chemokine expression in experimental Chagas disease correlates with cardiac pathology in Beagle dogs.(2010) Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Silva, André Talvani Pedrosa da; Diniz, Lívia de Figueiredo; Caldas, Ivo Santana; Matta, Maria Adelaide do Valle; Silva, Juliana Santiago; Chiari, Egler; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da Cunha; Silva, João Santana da; Bahia, Maria TerezinhaChemokines and chemokine receptors interaction have presented important role in leukocyte migration to specific immune reaction sites. Recently, it has been reported that chemokine receptors CXC (CXCR3) and CC (CCR5) were preferentially expressed on Th1 cells while CCR3 and CCR4 were preferentially expressed on Th2 cells. This study evaluated the mRNA expression of type 1 and type 2 chemokine and chemokine receptors in the cardiac tissue of Beagle dogs infected with distinct genetic groups of Trypanosoma cruzi (Y, Berenice- 78 and ABC strains) during acute and chronic phases. To analyze the correlation between chemokine and chemokine receptors expression and the development of heart pathology, the chronic infected animals were divided into groups, according to the parasite strain and based on the degree of heart damage: cardiac and indeterminate form of Chagas disease. Our results indicated that cardiac type1/2 chemokines and their receptors were partially dependent on the genetic diversity of parasites as well as the polarization of clinical forms. Also, dogs presenting cardiac form showed lower heart tissue mRNA expression of CCL24 (type 2) and higher expression of CCL5, CCL4 and CXCR3 (type 1) when compared with those with indeterminate form of disease. Together, these data reinforce a close-relation between T. cruzi genetic population and the host specific type 1 immune response and, for the first time, we show the distribution of type 1/2 chemokines associated with the development of cardiac pathology using dogs, a well similar model to study human Chagas disease.Item Inflammation enhances the risks of stroke and death in chronic chagas disease patients.(2016) Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Andrade, Cléber Mesquita de; Nunes, Daniela Ferreira; Pereira, Nathalie de Sena; Queiroga, Tamyres Bernadete Dantas; Coelho, George Luiz Lins Machado; Nascimento, Manuela Sales Lima; Matta, Maria Adelaide do Valle; Câmara, Antônia Cláudia Jácome da; Chiari, Egler; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da CunhaIschemic strokes have been implicated as a cause of death in Chagas disease patients. Inflammation has been recognized as a key component in all ischemic processes, including the intravascular events triggered by vessel interruption, brain damage and repair. In this study, we evaluated the association between inflammatory markers and the death risk (DR) and stroke risk (SR) of patients with different clinical forms of chronic Chagas disease. The mRNA expression levels of cytokines, transcription factors expressed in the adaptive immune response (Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17, Th22 and regulatory T cell), and iNOS were analyzed by realtime PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chagasic patients who exhibited the indeterminate, cardiac, digestive and cardiodigestive clinical forms of the disease, and the levels of these transcripts were correlated with the DR and SR. Cardiac patients exhibited lowermRNA nexpression levels of GATA-3, FoxP3, AHR, IL-4, IL-9, IL-10 and IL 22 but exhibited higher expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α compared with indeterminate patients. Digestive patients showed similar levels of GATA-3, IL-4 and IL-10 than indeterminate patients. Cardiodigestive patients exhibited higher levels of TNF-α compared with indeterminate and digestive patients. Furthermore, we demonstrated that patients with high DR and SR exhibited lower GATA-3, FoxP3, and IL-10 expression and higher IFN-γ, TNF-α and iNOS mRNA expression than patients with low DR and SR. A negative correlation was observed between Foxp3 and IL-10 mRNA expression and the DR and SR. Moreover, TNF-α and iNOS expression was positively correlated with DR and SR. Our data suggest that an inflammatory imbalance in chronic Chagas disease patients is associated with a high DR and SR. This study provides a better understanding of the stroke pathobiology in the general population and might aid the development of therapeutic strategies for controlling the morbidity and mortality of Chagas disease.Item Influence of the long-term Trypanosoma cruzi infection in vertebrate host on the genetic and biological diversity of the parasite.(2005) Veloso, Vanja Maria; Romanha, Alvaro José; Lana, Marta de; Murta, Silvane Maria Fonseca; Carneiro, Cláudia Martins; Alves, Cíntia Fontes; Borges, Erika Carime; Tafuri, Washington Luiz; Coelho, George Luiz Lins Machado; Chiari, Egler; Bahia, Maria TerezinhaThe influence of the long-term Trypanosoma cruzi infection in vertebrate host on the biological and genetic properties of the parasite was evaluated. Four T. cruzi isolates obtained from different chronic chagasic dogs infected with Berenice-78 T. cruzi strain during 2 and 7 years were comparatively analyzed. The long-term T. cruzi infection has led to alterations in parasitemia, virulence and pathogenicity of Be-78 strain for mice. These biological parameters varied from low to high in realation to the parental strain. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA and isoenzyme profiles detected two distinct genetic groups of parasites. The first group included the parental strain and two T. cruzi isolates, and the second group the two other isolates. Interestingly, the isolates of the second group showed a reversibility of the genetic profile to the parental strain after 25 passages in mice. No correlation between the genetic groups and biological properties of the isolates was observed. Our findings confirmed the population heterogeneity of the Be-78 strain, and showed how differently it responds to the long-term infection in the same vertebrate hosts.Item Synthesis and trypanocidal activity of ent-kaurane glycosides.(2007) Batista, Ronan; Humberto, Jorge Luiz; Chiari, Egler; Oliveira, Alaíde Braga deNovel ent-kaurane glucosides were synthezised by a Koenigs–Knorr reaction between C17 and C19 alcohols derived from kaurenoic acid and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-glucopyranosyl bromide, followed by the hydrolysis of the acetates. Main products were assayed in vitro and in vivo against blood trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas’ disease (American trypanosomiasis). The results allowed to establish structure–activity relationships among these derivatives, as well as pointed out the C19-methylester-C17-O-glucoside as a potential trypanocidal agent, whose trypanocidal profile was shown to be comparable to those of gentian violet and benznidazole.Item The dog as model for chemotherapy of the Chagas’ disease.(2002) Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Veloso, Vanja Maria; Tafuri, Washington Luiz; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da Cunha; Carneiro, Cláudia Martins; Lana, Marta de; Chiari, Egler; Soares, Killarney Ataide; Bahia, Maria TerezinhaIn the present study, we investigated the role of dogs as experimental models for acute and chronic phases of Chagas’ disease, before and after therapeutic treatments. Dogs were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi strains of different susceptibilities to benznidazole (Bz) and treated with the same therapeutic scheme as used for human chagasic. The treatment with Bz was able to prevent death and induced parasitological cure in 62.5% (acute phase) and 38.7% (chronic recent phase) of the tested animals. These results were similar to those reported in clinical trials for treated human patients (cured and uncured) in both phases of the disease. We also showed that parasitologic and serologic tests for monitoring the cure were similar to those obtained for human trials. In addition, Polymerase chain reaction showed the highest sensitivity when compared with hemoculture as an indicator of parasite clearance. In conclusion, the proposed experimental model should be relevant for chemotherapy studies for the control of Chagas’ disease.Item Trypanosoma cruzi : blood parasitism kinetics and their correlation with heart parasitism intensity during long-term infection of Beagle dogs.(2008) Veloso, Vanja Maria; Guedes, Paulo Marcos da Matta; Andrade, Isabel Mayer de; Caldas, Ivo Santana; Martins, Helen Rodrigues; Carneiro, Cláudia Martins; Coelho, George Luiz Lins Machado; Lana, Marta de; Galvão, Lúcia Maria da Cunha; Bahia, Maria Terezinha; Chiari, EglerThe goals of the present study were to evaluate the kinetics of blood parasitism by examination of fresh blood, blood culture (BC) and PCR assays and their correlation with heart parasitism during two years of infection in Beagle dogs inoculated with the Be-78, Y and ABC Trypanosoma cruzi strains. Our results showed that the parasite or its kDNA is easily detected during the acute phase in all infected animals. On the other hand, a reduced number of positive tests were verified during the chronic phase of the infection. The frequency of positive tests was correlated with T. cruzi strain. The percentage of positive BC and blood PCR performed in samples from animals inoculated with Be-78 and ABC strains were similar and significantly larger in relation to animals infected with the Y strain. Comparison of the positivity of PCR tests performed using blood and heart tissue samples obtained two years after infection showed two different patterns associated with the inoculated T. cruzi strain: (1) high PCR positivity for both blood and tissue was observed in animals infected with Be-78 or ABC strains; (2) lower and higher PCR positivity for the blood and tissue, respectively, was detected in animals infected with Y strains. These data suggest that the sensitivity of BC and blood PCR was T. cruzi strain dependent and, in contrast, the heart tissue PCR revealed higher sensitivity regardless of the parasite stock.