by Zrein M, Chatelain E. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2019.165628
Summary: Control of Chagas disease is extremely challenging, not least because of a lack of methods to reliably assess treatment efficacy. While there have been impressive efforts in basic research to help with the management of Chagas disease, translation into clinically available products has been lacking. This review is a synopsis of immunological characteristics of T. cruzi and attempts to elucidate what hampers development of methodologies for the unmet medical need of disease monitoring. The authors conclude that it is essential to change the paradigm of serological methods for monitoring parasite clearance: analysing the broad spectrum of antibody diversity is more informative about clinical status than conventional serology tests designed merely for global detection of antibodies.
