by Saade U, Ramirez JC, de Boer J, Bazan NA, Mangone FM, Ramadier T, Scandale I, Pottel H, Altcheh J, Chatelain E, Zrein M. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2026;jiag427. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiag427
Summary: No reliable markers exist for parasitological cure in adult patients with chronic Chagas disease. The authors of this manuscript assessed whether a serological multiplex immunoassay for Trypanosoma cruzi, ‘MultiCruzi’, could differentiate the outcomes of treatment regimens using serum samples at baseline, 6, and 12 months post-treatment with benznidazole, E1224 regimens, or placebo from adults with indeterminate Chagas disease enrolled in the BENDITA randomized trial. Within six months after treatment, participants exhibited a significantly greater rate of decline in antibody levels compared to the placebo group using MultiCruzi than is seen using conventional T. cruzi ELISA tests. MultiCruzi enables the early assessment of treatment-associated biological responses in adults with Chagas disease, with antibody decline serving as an exploratory pharmacodynamic marker.