TY - JOUR
T1 - Animal Models of Trypanosoma cruzi Congenital Transmission
AU - Avalos-Borges, Eduardo E.
AU - Rios, Lizette E.
AU - Jiménez-Coello, Matilde
AU - Ortega-Pacheco, Antonio
AU - Garg, Nisha J.
N1 - Funding Information:
N.J.G. is supported in part by grants from National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI136031, R21AI151305, and R44AI172437) and Institute for Human Infections & Immunity at the UTMB Galveston. L.R. has been supported by pre-doctoral fellowships from Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, Zelda Zinn Casper Scholars Endowment and McLaughlin Endowment at the UTMB Galveston.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Chagas disease, initiated by the etiological agent Trypanosoma cruzi, is an endemic infection in the American continent. Although vectorial transmission of T. cruzi is recognized as the main mode of infection, other routes such as congenital and blood transfusion are also documented as important methods of transmission. T. cruzi maternal–fetal transmission has been recorded in humans and examined by some investigators in naturally and experimentally infected mammals. Dogs are recognized as the major reservoir host in maintaining the domestic transmission of T. cruzi; however, the importance of congenital transmission in preserving the infection cycle in dogs has not been studied in detail. In this article, we reviewed the current knowledge of congenital transmission of T. cruzi in humans and compared the placental architecture of humans and different animals with particular attention to rodents, dogs, and non-human primates that have been used as experimental models of T. cruzi infection, congenital transmission, and Chagas disease pathogenesis. The placentas of humans and animals have some similar and dissimilar characteristics that should inform the study design and interpretation of results when evaluating the efficacy of new anti-parasite drugs and therapies against congenital infection.
AB - Chagas disease, initiated by the etiological agent Trypanosoma cruzi, is an endemic infection in the American continent. Although vectorial transmission of T. cruzi is recognized as the main mode of infection, other routes such as congenital and blood transfusion are also documented as important methods of transmission. T. cruzi maternal–fetal transmission has been recorded in humans and examined by some investigators in naturally and experimentally infected mammals. Dogs are recognized as the major reservoir host in maintaining the domestic transmission of T. cruzi; however, the importance of congenital transmission in preserving the infection cycle in dogs has not been studied in detail. In this article, we reviewed the current knowledge of congenital transmission of T. cruzi in humans and compared the placental architecture of humans and different animals with particular attention to rodents, dogs, and non-human primates that have been used as experimental models of T. cruzi infection, congenital transmission, and Chagas disease pathogenesis. The placentas of humans and animals have some similar and dissimilar characteristics that should inform the study design and interpretation of results when evaluating the efficacy of new anti-parasite drugs and therapies against congenital infection.
KW - Chagas disease
KW - Trypanosoma cruzi
KW - congenital transmission
KW - dogs
KW - murine models
KW - placenta
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U2 - 10.3390/pathogens11101172
DO - 10.3390/pathogens11101172
M3 - Review article
C2 - 36297229
AN - SCOPUS:85140596959
SN - 2076-0817
VL - 11
JO - Pathogens
JF - Pathogens
IS - 10
M1 - 1172
ER -