Early biomarkers for prediction of complications in chronic Chagas disease

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• 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
• 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

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.

Free Research Field

寄生虫学(含衛生動物学)

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。