Summary: Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi transmission is now estimated to account for 22% of new infections. Though the proportion of T. cruzi infected infants with clinical signs has fallen from the 1990s, but symptomatic congenital Chagas disease still represents a significant, albeit increasingly challenging to detect, public health problem. 3 AbstractBackground: Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi transmission is now estimated to account for 22%

Synthesis of a cytotoxic dihydrochalcone, first isolated from a traditional Amazonian medicinal plant Iryanthera juruensis Warb (Myristicaceae), followed by a comprehensive SAR analysis of saturated and unsaturated chalcone synthetic intermediates, led to the identification of analogues with selective and significant in vitro anti- Trypanosoma cruzi activity. Further SAR studies were undertaken with the synthesis of 21 new chalcones containing two allyloxy moieties that resulted in the discovery of 2',4'-diallyloxy-6'-methoxy chalcones with improved selectivity against this parasite at concentrations below 25 microM, four of which exhibited a selectivity index greater than 12.

h Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, which affects an estimated 7 million to 8 million people. Chagas disease is endemic throughout Latin America, with the highest prevalence in Bolivia. Conventional diagnosis requires a well-equipped laboratory with experienced personnel. We evaluated the Chagas Detect Plus (CDP) (InBios, Seattle, WA), a rapid immunochromatographic assay for IgG antibodies to T. cruzi. CDP performance was compared to infection status based on results obtained by indirect hemagglutination assay, immunofluorescent-antibody test, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Confirmed infection required positive results by at least 2 conventional assays. We used specimens from adults of both sexes in a general hospital in the city of Santa Cruz and from pregnant women in a hospital and children in villages in the Bolivian Chaco, an area of hyperendemicity. CDP was performed in paired whole-blood and serum specimens from 385 individuals in the two hospital studies and in 200 serum specimens from the community study. CDP showed sensitivities/specificities of 96.2% (95% confidence interval, 92.7 to 98.4)/98.8% (95.9 to 99.9) in whole blood and 99.3% (97.5 to 99.9)/96.9% (94.2 to 98.6) in serum, with no differences by sex, age group, or study site. CDP showed excellent sensitivity and specificity in our study population, comparable to those of conventional serology. The test is reliable for field surveys, requires no laboratory equipment, and performed well in serum and whole blood. The CDP could also be used for accurate maternal screening to identify neonates at risk of congenital transmission. CDP performance data in diverse geographic areas are needed to strengthen the evidence base for its use.

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A pharmacological screening of the ethanol extract and fractions of two Peruvian medicinal plants, Plagiochila disticha and Ambrosia peruviana, led to the isolation and characterization of three ENT-2,3-secoaromadendrane-type sesquiterpenoids, named plagiochiline A ( 1), I ( 2), and R ( 3), as well as of two pseudoguaianolids, damsin ( 4) and confertin ( 5), which exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against a panel of human tumor cell lines. Compounds 1, 4, and 5 were also investigated for their in vitro antileishmanial, trypanocidal, and antituberculosis activity against Leishmania amazonensis axenic amastigotes and Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes, as well as against MDR and sensitive strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, respectively.