Chagas disease is found mainly in Latin America but now also in
immigrant communities in the USA, Europe and elsewhere. Chronic
Chagas can remain silent for decades, while causing organ damage
that can lead to fatal heart failure. Evidence of parasites in
this phase is critical both for diagnosis and for assessing if
treatment worked. TDR coordinated work that has led to
standardizing PCR (polymerase chain reaction) for diagnosis, and
is now working with the Pan American Health Organization, Drugs
for Neglected Diseases initiative, and various researchers and
institutions to standardize an improved type of PCR
(quantitative real-time PCR) to see if it can be used as a
marker of treatment outcome for Chagas disease. In this context,
TDR is contributing to a large Chagas treatment trial conducted
in Latin America (BENEFIT). - New series on helminth infections
R&D agenda - Dengue control support through eco-bio-social
approach - A call for closer ties to communities - Pipeline
grows for neglected diseases resear