Addressing Chagas disease from a One Health perspective: risk factors, lessons learned and prevention of oral transmission outbreaks in Colombia

Chagas disease, also known as American Trypanosomiasis, is a zoonosis with global distribution caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, primarily transmitted through the feces of infected triatomines. The emergence of new cases in non-endemic areas highlights the importance of early pathogen detection in vectors and reservoirs to generate effective control strategies and establish preventive policies. The objective of this study was to design and validate a detection system of T. cruzi based on specific DNA cleavage and collateral activation using the CRISPR/LbCas12a system, targeting the genes Cytochrome B (Cytb), 18S ribosomal subunit (SR18s), and histone (H2A). This system was validated for their uses in both vectors and reservoirs of the parasite. The first step was to conduct a bioinformatic analysis of the target genes and design RNA guides for each cleavage site and primers to amplify the target region through PCR. Subsequently, we sequenced the amplified DNA target and validated the detection system using T. cruzi DNA extracted from naturally infected Rhodnius pallescens in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga, Colombia. After standardizing the method, we tested the CRISPR/Cas system with Silvio X10/4 laboratory strain of T. cruzi and scaled up to blood samples of naturally infected Didelphis marsupialis. As a result, we observed the DNA cleavage employing the CRISPR/Cas system with Cytb guide with a sensitivity of up to 0.0475 ng/uL of provided DNA. Sequencing of the Cytb gene showed no mutations in the cleavage site. However, point mutations and indels were found in SR18S and H2A, avoiding the formation of the CRISPR/LbCas12 complex. Furthermore, we introduce the design of a fluorescent detection prototype with CRISPR/LbCas12a called Tropical Diseases Detector (TropD-Detector). This device operates with an excitation wavelength of 480 nm emitted by an LED and a high-pass light filter with a cutoff wavelength of 500 nm. We detected positive samples using any photographic camera system. The TropD-Detector provides a visual, viable, and sensitive method for detecting T. cruzi in both vectors and reservoirs from endemic areas.

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Prevalence and attributable health burdens of vector-borne parasitic infectious diseases of poverty, 1990–2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Zhu,

Sun,

Zheng

et al. 2024

Infect Dis Poverty

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Background Vector-borne parasitic infectious diseases associated with poverty (referred to as vb-pIDP), such as malaria, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and onchocerciasis, are highly prevalent in many regions around the world. This study aims to characterize the recent burdens of and changes in these vb-pIDP globally and provide a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of geographical and temporal trends. Methods Data on the prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of the vb-pIDP were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 for 21 geographical regions and 204 countries worldwide, from 1990–2021. The age-standardized prevalence rate and DALYs rate by age, sex, and sociodemographic index (SDI) were calculated to quantify temporal trends. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the age-standardized rate and the SDI. Results Over the past 30 years, the age-standardized prevalence rate and DALYs rate of these vb-pIDP have generally decreased, with some fluctuations. The distribution of vb-pIDP globally is highly distinctive. Except for Chagas disease, the age-standardized prevalence rate and DALYs rate of other vb-pIDP were highest in low-SDI regions by 2021. Malaria had the highest age-standardized prevalence rate (2336.8 per 100,000 population, 95% UI: 2122.9, 2612.2 per 100,000 population) and age-standardized DALYs rate (806.0 per 100,000 population, 95% UI: 318.9, 1570.2 per 100,000 population) among these six vb-pIDP globally. Moreover, significant declines in the age-standardized prevalence rate and DALYs rate have been observed in association with an increase in the SDI . Globally, 0.14% of DALYs related to malaria are attributed to child underweight, and 0.08% of DALYs related to malaria are attributed to child stunting. Conclusions The age-standardized prevalence rate and DALY rates for the vb-pIDP showed pronounced decreasing trends from 1990–2021. However, the vb-pIDP burden remains a substantial challenge for vector-borne infectious disease control globally and requires effective control strategies and healthcare systems. The findings provide scientific evidence for designing targeted health interventions and contribute to improving the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Graphical Abstract

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Addressing Chagas disease from a One Health perspective: risk factors, lessons learned and prevention of oral transmission outbreaks in Colombia

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

The epidemiology of Chagas disease in the Americas

The epidemiology of Chagas disease in the Americas

TropD-Detector: A CRISPR/LbCas12a-Based system for rapid and sensitive screening ofTrypanosoma cruziin Chagas vectors and reservoirs

Prevalence and attributable health burdens of vector-borne parasitic infectious diseases of poverty, 1990–2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

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