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Objective: Autoantibodies cross-reacting with the β1 adrenergic receptor (anti-β1AR and anti-p2β) and cardiac myosin antigens (anti-B13) have been related to the pathogenesis of chronic Chagas heart disease (CCHD). Studies exploring their levels in different stages are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the relationship of these autoantibodies with the clinical profile of chronic patients, especially regarding their classificatory accuracy in severe presentation with heart failure., Methods and Results: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 155 T. cruzi-seropositive patients and 26 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. They were categorised in three stages of CCHD. Serum antibodies were measured by specific immunoassays. Symptomatic individuals showed increased levels of anti-β1AR and anti-B13, while anti-p2β antibodies were similar between groups. A composite logistic regression model including anti-B13, anti-β1AR antibody levels and age was able to predict systolic heart failure yielding an area under the curve of 83% (sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 89%)., Conclusions: In our study, anti-β1AR and anti-B13 antibodies were higher in individuals with chronic Chagas heart disease stage III, mainly in those with dilated cardiomyopathy associated with systolic heart failure. Logistic regression analysis showed that both antibodies were good predictors of severe CCHD. As well as being involved in disease progression, anti-β1AR and anti-B13 antibodies may be used as a serum marker of poor prognosis in terms of heart compromise., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Studies indicate that Trypanosoma cruzi is capable of inducing immunological disturbances such as decreased expression of molecules involved in T-cell survival and costimulation for antigen-driven T-cell responses. On the other hand, several reports have described that BCG vaccination induces a T-helper 1-type immune response with protective effects in different pathologies. In this regard, we evaluated whether BCG vaccination coexists with a better clinical and immunological profile of chronic Chagas heart disease (CCHD). We performed a cross-sectional study in T. cruzi seropositive patients categorized according the BCG vaccine background and to the well-established CCHD classification provided by Storino et al. All individuals were subjected to a complete clinical examination. All patients presented detectable levels of autoantibodies anti-p2β, anti-B13, anti-FRA and antiparasite homogenate immunoglobulins, which were unrelated to age and sex distribution or blood pressure values. Comparisons according to BCG vaccination revealed that individuals who had not been vaccinated presented higher values of antibodies, and patients without BCG vaccine had an OR of 6.1 (95 % CI 1.23-29.25, p = 0.02) for globally dilated cardiomyopathy with reduced ejection fraction (Hosmer and Lemeshow test of 5.2 p = 0.73). Our results suggest that BCG vaccination coexists with a better clinical and immunological profile of CCHD, associated with lower cardiac involvement.

Introduction and Objectives: Trypanosoma cruzi infection has been shown to induce humoral autoimmune responses against host antigens tissues. Particularly, antibodies cross-reacting with myocardial antigens may play a role in the development of the severe forms of chronic Chagas disease. The aim of this study was to determine the association between clinical stage of the disease and the presence of autoantibodies in patients with chronic Chagasic disease., Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in T. cruzi-seropositive patients divided into 3 groups according to the classic classification of chronic Chagas heart of Storino et al. All participants underwent complete clinical examination and their sera were used to measure autoantibody levels., Results: All patients had detectable levels of anti-p2β and anti-B13 autoantibodies but none had anti-Na-K-ATPase antibodies. No association was observed between electrocardiographic conduction disturbances and autoantibody levels. Patients with chronic Chagas disease stage III had the highest levels of anti-B13 antibodies and a high risk of mortality score, showing a clear association between disease stage and this score., Conclusions: Anti-B13 antibodies were significantly higher in chronic Chagas disease stage III patients, suggesting that these antibodies may be involved in disease progression and that they might be a useful marker of poor prognosis in terms of heart compromise. Our results also reveal an important correlation between the level of anti-B13 autoantibodies and symptomatic heart failure and/or dilated cardiomyopathy., (Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objective The aim of the present research was to evaluate the correlation of vertically transmitted IgG antibodies induced by T. cruzi and newborn early outcome assessment, mainly birth weight and gestational age. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study with 183 pregnant women (64 with asymptomatic Chagas disease) and their newborns. Both were subjected to complete clinical examination. Peripheral parasitemia was assessed in mother and neonates by parasite detection through microscopic examination of the buffycoat from mother's peripheral and cord blood. Antibodies induced by T. cruzi, such as anti-FRA, anti-B13, anti-p2β and anti- T. cruzi were assessed by immunoassay. Birth weight, general condition evaluation by APGAR Score and gestational age by Capurro Score, were determined in newborns. Results The rate of stillbirth background and pregnancy-induced hypertension were higher in patients with Chagas disease ( p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively). Parasitemia was detectable in 17 mothers and 4 newborns. The newborns of mothers with detectable parasitemia presented decreased gestational age ( p = 0.006) and body weight ( p = 0.04). Mostly all the mothers with Chagas disease and all their newborns have positive values of antibodies induced by T. cruzi; however, only anti-p2β showed to be related to the presence of complication during pregnancy (OR 2.35, p = 0.036), and to low birth weight (OR 1.55, p = 0.02). Conclusions Low birth weight and decreased postnatal estimation of maturity were related to detectable parasitemia in the mother. Also, vertical transmission of T. cruzi-induced autoantibodies might have clinical implication in newborns given the negative association between anti-p2β values and weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]