Early biomarkers for prediction of complications in chronic Chagas disease

• Project/Area Number: 16H02770
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: Hirayama Kenji 長崎大学, 熱帯医学・グローバルヘルス研究科, 教授 (60189868)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 金子 聰 長崎大学, 熱帯医学研究所, 教授 (00342907) ; 江口 晋 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(医学系), 教授 (80404218) ; 吉岡 浩太 長崎大学, 熱帯医学・グローバルヘルス研究科, 客員研究員 (80750041)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
• Budget Amount: ¥41,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥31,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥9,540,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥7,150,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,650,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥7,540,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,740,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥6,370,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,470,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥12,090,000 (Direct Cost: ¥9,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,790,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥8,190,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,890,000)
• Keywords: シャーガス病 / ボリビア / クルーズトリパノソーマ / 原虫感染症 / 昆虫媒介感染症 / 拡張型心筋症 / 巨大結腸症 / 慢性感染症 / 慢性シャーガス病 / 早期診断 / 昆虫媒介性感染症 / バイオマーカー / 感染症 / 消化器疾患 / 循環器疾患 / 寄生原虫 / 中南米 / 寄生原虫症 / 熱帯医学 / 臨床 / プロテオーム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Chagas disease is a parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi transmitted to humans by a Triatomine insects. Chagas disease in Bolivia is endemic that covers half of the country. The National University in Santa Cruz conducts annual antibody testing and the positive rate in 2017 was 5%. The aim of this study was to examine the presence of complications of chronic Chagas disease (cardiac and gastrointestinal diseases) in young people and to identify biomarkers in the blood of those who develop early disease as risk factors and to contribute to early diagnosis. In 2017,72 positive and 53 negative subjects who gave an informed consent were diagnosed for complications by ECG, chest X-ray and contrast-enhanced X-ray of the colon. The results showed, surprisingly, that there was no difference in the frequency of the colonic complication megacolon between the Chagas-positive and negative groups. The same things happened in ECG abnormalities. The results were contrary to expectations.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で示された結果は、これまでのシャーガス病の合併症に関する知識と相反するものであり、自然感染が減少し、母子感染した後、新生児期や小児期に治療を試みられた世代の慢性シャーガス病の合併症の発症に関してまったく新しい知見が得られた可能性がある。現在、抗体検査の精度や感度、リアルタイムPCRによる血中DNA検査などを追加して行い、これまでの診断基準の見直しを行っている。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] ガブリエルルネモレノ大学(ボリビア)
• [Int'l Joint Research] ムンドサノ(アルゼンチン)
• [Int'l Joint Research] バルセロナグローバルヘルス研究所(スペイン)
• [Int'l Joint Research] Gabriel Rene Moreno自由大学(ボリビア)
• [Journal Article] Plasma cell-free DNA: a potential biomarker for early prediction of severe dengue (2019)
  • Author(s): Phuong Nguyen Thi Ngoc、Manh Dao Huy、Dumre Shyam Prakash、Mizukami Shusaku、Weiss Lan Nguyen、Van Thuong Nguyen、Ha Tran Thi Ngoc、Phuc Le Hong、Van An Tran、Tieu Thuan Minh、Kamel Mohamed Gomaa、Morra Mostafa Ebraheem、Huong Vu Thi Que、Huy Nguyen Tien、Hirayama Kenji
  • Journal Title: Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-6
  • DOI: 10.1186/s12941-019-0309-x
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] IL-17A, a possible biomarker for the evaluation of treatment response in Trypanosoma cruzi infected children: A 12-months follow-up study in Bolivia (2019)
  • Author(s): Velasquez Velasquez C, Russomando G, Espanola EE, Sanchez Z, Mochizuki K, Roca Y, Revollo J, Guzman A, Quiroga B, Rios Morgan S, Vargas Ortiz R, Zambrana Ortega A, Espinoza E, Nishizawa JE, Kamel MG, Kikuchi M, Mizukami S, Na-Bangchang K, Tien Huy N, Hirayama K.
  • Journal Title: PLoS Negl Trop Dis . Volume: 13(9):e0007715. Issue: 9 Pages: e0007715-e0007715
  • DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007715
  • NAID: 120006988399
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Followup study during and after two month regimen of benznidazole in pediatric chronic Chagas patients in Bollibia (2018)
  • Author(s): Clara Vasquez Velasquez, Graciela Russomando, Emilio Espinola, Zunilda Sanchez, Kota Mochizuki, Yelin Roca, Jimmy Revollo, Angelica Huzman, Benjamin Quiroga, Susana Rios Morgan, Juan Eiki Nishizwa, Mihoko Kikuchi, Shusaku Mizukami, Kesara Na-Bangchang, Tien Huy Nguyen, Kenji Hirayama.
  • Organizer: ICOPA 2018, 14th International Congress of Parasitology
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 慢性シャーガス病治療薬の探索 (2017)
  • Author(s): 平山謙二、Juan Eiki Nishizawa, Angelica Guzman, Shusaku Mizukami, Clara Vasquez Velasquez
  • Organizer: International Course on Advances in Gastroenterolgy and Digestive Endoscopy
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited