Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case series

ABSTRACT Patients with chronic Chagas disease (CD) and autoimmune rheumatic disorders (ARD) receiving immunosuppressive therapy are at risk for CD reactivation (CDR). This study monitored parasitemia over 9-121 months in six patients with CD and ARD using conventional and quantitative PCR and parasi...

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Main Authors: Noemia Barbosa Carvalho, Vera Lucia Teixeira de Freitas, Nadia Emi Aikawa, Lucas Teixeira Vieira, Rita Cristina Bezerra, Adriana Coraccini Tonácio de Proença, Karina Bonfiglioli, Érika Yoshie Shimoda Nakanishi, Hermes Ryoiti Higashino, Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2025-06-01
Series:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822025000100802&lng=en&tlng=en
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author Noemia Barbosa Carvalho
Vera Lucia Teixeira de Freitas
Nadia Emi Aikawa
Lucas Teixeira Vieira
Rita Cristina Bezerra
Adriana Coraccini Tonácio de Proença
Karina Bonfiglioli
Érika Yoshie Shimoda Nakanishi
Hermes Ryoiti Higashino
Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda
author_facet Noemia Barbosa Carvalho
Vera Lucia Teixeira de Freitas
Nadia Emi Aikawa
Lucas Teixeira Vieira
Rita Cristina Bezerra
Adriana Coraccini Tonácio de Proença
Karina Bonfiglioli
Érika Yoshie Shimoda Nakanishi
Hermes Ryoiti Higashino
Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda
author_sort Noemia Barbosa Carvalho
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Patients with chronic Chagas disease (CD) and autoimmune rheumatic disorders (ARD) receiving immunosuppressive therapy are at risk for CD reactivation (CDR). This study monitored parasitemia over 9-121 months in six patients with CD and ARD using conventional and quantitative PCR and parasitology. Five patients showed parasitemia; two had elevated levels of parEq/mL (49-458.7). One patient received benznidazole with a marked decrease in parasitemia; in the other, treatment was discontinued after 12 days due to toxicity. No CDR occurred. These findings support the need for qPCR standardization for preemptive therapy and suggest that benznidazole may prevent CDR in patients with high parasitemia.
format Article
id doaj-art-1d76bcea41f74f2bbf157f80b029241a
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issn 1678-9849
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
record_format Article
series Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
spelling doaj-art-1d76bcea41f74f2bbf157f80b029241a2025-08-20T03:19:28ZengSociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical1678-98492025-06-015810.1590/0037-8682-0419-2024Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case seriesNoemia Barbosa Carvalhohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1884-9526Vera Lucia Teixeira de Freitashttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1112-081XNadia Emi Aikawahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7585-4348Lucas Teixeira Vieirahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3073-9477Rita Cristina Bezerrahttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-6162-9852Adriana Coraccini Tonácio de Proençahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1038-8796Karina Bonfigliolihttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3547-5674Érika Yoshie Shimoda Nakanishihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6928-385XHermes Ryoiti Higashinohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2038-1539Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasudahttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3864-041XABSTRACT Patients with chronic Chagas disease (CD) and autoimmune rheumatic disorders (ARD) receiving immunosuppressive therapy are at risk for CD reactivation (CDR). This study monitored parasitemia over 9-121 months in six patients with CD and ARD using conventional and quantitative PCR and parasitology. Five patients showed parasitemia; two had elevated levels of parEq/mL (49-458.7). One patient received benznidazole with a marked decrease in parasitemia; in the other, treatment was discontinued after 12 days due to toxicity. No CDR occurred. These findings support the need for qPCR standardization for preemptive therapy and suggest that benznidazole may prevent CDR in patients with high parasitemia.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822025000100802&lng=en&tlng=enChagas diseaseAutoimmune rheumatic diseasesT. cruziParasitemiaqPCR
spellingShingle Noemia Barbosa Carvalho
Vera Lucia Teixeira de Freitas
Nadia Emi Aikawa
Lucas Teixeira Vieira
Rita Cristina Bezerra
Adriana Coraccini Tonácio de Proença
Karina Bonfiglioli
Érika Yoshie Shimoda Nakanishi
Hermes Ryoiti Higashino
Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda
Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case series
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Chagas disease
Autoimmune rheumatic diseases
T. cruzi
Parasitemia
qPCR
title Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case series
title_full Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case series
title_fullStr Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case series
title_full_unstemmed Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case series
title_short Quantitative PCR for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with Chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment: a case series
title_sort quantitative pcr for parasitemia monitoring and preemptive therapy in patients with chagas disease and autoimmune rheumatic disorders undergoing biologic treatment a case series
topic Chagas disease
Autoimmune rheumatic diseases
T. cruzi
Parasitemia
qPCR
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822025000100802&lng=en&tlng=en
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