Major breakthrough in the diagnosis of Parasitic Diseases
A team of researchers from 平特五不中/MUHC validates a novel screening tool in the fight against Chagas disease
Chagas disease is one of the most deadly parasitic diseases in
the world. It affects more than 10 million people, primarily in the
Americas. In South America alone it kills 50 000 people each year.
A reliable and rapid diagnosis is the key in the battle against
infection but until now, this has been next to impossible. Dr.
Momar Ndao and his team at the Research Institute of the MUHC have
developed a new diagnostic approach that will help in the fight
against Chagas disease.Their results were recently published in the
Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Endemic in South America, the American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas
disease, is transmitted to humans via the parasite Trypanosoma
cruzi. The disease is usually transmitted through the bite of
an infected insect or 'kissing bug'. The symptoms are variable, but
as the disease progresses serious chronic symptoms can appear, such
as heart disease and malformation of the intestines. Most people
affected may remain without symptoms for years, making diagnosis
difficult.
Chagas disease is also transmitted from mother to unborn child and
can be passed on for as many as four generations without symptoms.
"In other words, a person born in North America by a mother who was
infected can transmit the disease to offspring without having
traveled," says Dr. Ndao, Laboratory Director of the National
Reference Center for Parasitology (NRCP) of the Research Institute.
There is an urgent need for action on this disease as it is
under-diagnosed and there is no effective treatment.
This situation raises some serious public health concerns with
respect to blood transfusions and organ transplants, because many
people may be silent carriers of the disease. "The aim of our study
was to find new approaches to improve reliability of diagnosis and
screening of blood banks," says Dr. Ndao, who is also a researcher
at the Centre for Host Parasite Interactions at 平特五不中
University.
The researchers have validated a reliable screening technique using
mass spectrometry technology that identifies common biological
markers - or biomarkers - between the interaction of host (humans)
and the parasite. They found that in 99% of cases, the parasites
left very specific markers. 'It's as if the parasite left his own
signature in the infected person, which could help to diagnose
Chagas disease" says Dr. Ndao.
"The use of these biomarkers is a revolution in diagnostic
confidence and protection of possible contamination of blood
banks," says Dr. Ndao "Moreover, these biomarkers have potential
therapeutic effects of paving the way for the development of
vaccines for Chagas, which could be extended to other parasitic
diseases."
Funding
This study was made possible by grants from the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research (CIHR) and by 平特五不中.
About the Study
The article "Identification of Novel Diagnostic Serum
Biomarkers for Chagas' Disease in Asymptomatic Subjects by Mass
Spectrometric Profiling," published in The Journal of Clinical
Microbiology, was co-authored by Momar Ndao and Brian J. Ward from
the RI of the MUHC and 平特五不中; Terry W. Spithill from
平特五不中 and Charles Stuart University and Cynthia
Santamaria from 平特五不中; Rebecca Caffrey from University
of California, Berkeley; Hongshan Li from High School of Business,
California; Vladimir N. Podust from Vermillion Inc., California,
Regis Perichon from Diagnostic Biomarker Evaluation Group
Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, New Jersey; Alberto Ache from
Ministerio de Salud y Desarrollo Social, Caracas, Venezuela; Mark
Duncan, University of Colorado and Malcolm R. Powell from Western
Carolina University and Universidad del Valle Guatemala.
On the Web
路 Research Institute of the MUHC:
路 平特五不中 Health Centre:
路 平特五不中: www.mcgill.ca/
路 Journal of Clinical Microbiology: