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Objetivo. Sistematizar, evaluar y sintetizar la investigación original específica en México sobre la zoonosis por Trypano-soma cruzi, los vectores (Triatominae: Hemiptera: Reduviidae) y la enfermedad de Chagas (EC). Material y métodos. La investigación original fue identificada con PRISMA mediante cuatro sistemas de búsqueda, usando criterios de inclusión, se realizó la asignación a 14 áreas temáticas y fue evaluada mediante criterios técnicos. Resultados. De un total de 1 410 registros, fueron elegidos 659 (46.7%) para la valoración técnica, de los cuales, 221 (15.7%) fueron incluidos como las evidencias de mayor calidad. El buscador PubMed contribuyó con 95% de los registros, mientras que los buscadores BibTri, Lilacs y Scielo aportaron 5%. La tasa de publicación fue constante de 1950 a 1990, con un incremento exponencial de 1995 a 2020. La alta calidad de publicaciones incrementó de 5.3% en 1990 hasta 49.8% en 2020. Los temas de aspectos sistémicos, económicos, antropológicos y sociales de la EC en México fueron los menos representados (8%). Conclusiones. En las dos últimas décadas en México ha incrementado la investigación científica. Sin embargo, son notables las caren- cias en las áreas para poder fundamentar la política pública sanitaria en cuanto a la atención, la prevención y el control de la EC en el país.

During an infection the immune system produces pathogen-specific antibodies. These antibody repertoires become specific to the history of infections and represent a rich source of diagnostic markers. However, the specificities of these antibodies are mostly unknown. Here, using high-density peptide arrays we examined the human antibody repertoires of Chagas disease patients. Chagas disease is a neglected disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that evades immune mediated elimination and mounts long-lasting chronic infections. We describe a proteome-wide search for antigens, characterised their linear epitopes, and show their reactivity on 71 individuals from diverse human populations. Using single-residue mutagenesis we revealed the core functional residues for 232 of these epitopes. Finally, we show the diagnostic performance of identified antigens on challenging samples. These datasets enable the study of the Chagas antibody repertoire at an unprecedented depth and granularity, while also providing a rich source of serological biomarkers.

During an infection, the immune system produces pathogen-specific antibodies. With time, these antibody repertoires become specific to the history of infections and represent a rich source of diagnostic markers. However, the specificities of these antibodies are mostly unknown. Here, using high-density peptide arrays we examined the specificities of human antibody repertoires of Chagas disease patients. Chagas disease is a neglected disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that evades immune mediated elimination and mounts long-lasting chronic infections. We describe here the first proteome-wide search for antigens and epitopes and their seroprevalence at the individual level and across human populations. In a first discovery screening of 2.84 million short peptides spanning two T. cruzi proteomes we found 3,868 distinct antigenic protein regions. Further analysis of repertoires from 71 individuals provided information on their seroprevalence and showed a large fraction of private epitopes of low seroprevalence (IMPACT STATEMENTThis work reveals the diversity and extent of antibody specificities in Chagas Disease and provides a wealth of well-defined antigenic markers for diagnosis and development of serological applications for this neglected infectious disease.

Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and affects 6–7 million people worldwide. The diagnosis is still challenging, due to extensive parasite diversity encompassing seven genotypes (TcI-VI and Tcbat) with diverse ecoepidemiological, biological, and pathological traits. Chemotherapeutic intervention is usually effective but associated with severe adverse events. The development of safer, more effective therapies is hampered by the lack of biomarker(s) (BMKs) for the early assessment of therapeutic outcomes. The mammal-dwelling trypomastigote parasite stage expresses glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored mucins (tGPI-MUC), whose O-glycans are mostly branched with terminal, nonreducing α-galactopyranosyl (α-Gal) glycotopes. These are absent in humans, and thus highly immunogenic and inducers of specific CD anti-α-Gal antibodies. In search for α-Gal-based BMKs, here we describe the synthesis of neoglycoprotein NGP11b, comprised of a carrier protein decorated with the branched trisaccharide Galα(1,2)[Galα(1,6)]Galβ. By chemiluminescent immunoassay using sera/plasma from chronic CD (CCD) patients from Venezuela and Mexico and healthy controls, NGP11b exhibited sensitivity and specificity similar to that of tGPI-MUC from genotype TcI, predominant in those countries. Preliminary evaluation of CCD patients subjected to chemotherapy showed a significant reduction in anti-α-Gal antibody reactivity to NGP11b. Our data indicated that NGP11b is a potential BMK for diagnosis and treatment assessment in CCD patients.