ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2024
Circulating extracellular vesicles in sera of chronic patients as a method for determining active parasitism in Chagas disease.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exercise‑induced exosomal noncoding RNAs: Molecular signaling cascades in bone remodeling and translational applications in sports‑related bone injuries (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Cardiac alterations induced by Trypanosoma cruzi extracellular vesicles and immune complexes.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Extracellular Vesicles as Emerging Therapeutic Strategies in Spinal Cord Injury: Ready to Go.Biomedicines · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChagas disease, once restricted mainly to the Americas, Chagas disease has become a global health problem due to migration from endemic to non-endemic areas. In non-endemic regions, transmission is limited to vertical transmission from infected mothers to newborns or through blood and organ donations. A major challenge in the management of the disease lies in the diagnosis of chronic cases, as blood-borne parasites are often absent and antibodies persist for life, complicating the evaluation of treatment. METHODOLOGY AND MAIN
findingsThis study investigates whether detection of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) or their immunocomplexes with host IgGs in the serum of chronic patients with Chagas disease could serve as diagnostic tools and biomarkers of the active presence of the parasite. This method may prove valuable in cases where parasitaemia and other diagnostic tests are inconclusive, especially for assessing treatment efficacy and confirming mother-to-child transmission. Together with exovesicle purification by ultracentrifugation, which is the 'gold standard', an affordable and simplified method for the isolation of EVs or immunocomplexes was tested for use in less well-equipped diagnostic laboratories. EV detection was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) targeting Trypanosoma cruzi antigens. Positive results were demonstrated in Bolivian patients in Spain, covering asymptomatic and symptomatic cases (cardiac, gastrointestinal or both). The study also examined infected mothers and their newborns. These findings were further confirmed in Panamanian patients with inconclusive diagnostic results. Moreover, host IgG isotypes that formed immunocomplexes with parasite exovsicles were identified, with IgG2 and IgG4 being predominant.
conclusionsOur results confirm the usefulness of circulating EVs and their immunocomplexes as markers of metabolically active T. cruzi in chronic infections without detectable parasitaemia, as well as their efficacy in confirming vertical transmission and in cases of inconclusive diagnostic tests.
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