Several potential biomarkers of treatment response are under investigation, such as immunoassays against specific T. cruzi antigens, flow cytometry testing to detect antibodies against different life stages of T. cruzi, and markers of physiological changes caused by the parasite, such as alterations in coagulation and lipid metabolism.Another research area is the use of biomarkers to predict the progression of chronic disease. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, brain and atrial natriuretic peptide, and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 have been studied as indicators of the prognosis of Chagas cardiomyopathy.T. cruzi shed acute-phase antigen (SAPA), which can be detected in blood using ELISA or Western blot, has been used as an indicator of early acute and congenital infection. An assay for T. cruzi antigens in urine has been developed to diagnose congenital disease. See also
Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
Chagas: Time to Treat campaign
Association for the Promotion of Independent Disease Control in Developing Countries

References
External links

Chagas disease at Curlie
Chagas information at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Chagas information from the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative
Chagas disease information for travellers from the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers
Heart-hand syndrome, Spanish type, also known as heart-hand syndrome type 3 or III, is a very rare genetic disorder which is characterized by heart, hand, and sometimes feet abnormalities. It is a type of heart-hand syndrome, a class of genetic disorders characterized by cardiac malformations and hand malformations. Only one family with the disorder has been reported in medical literature. Description
People with this disorder have symptoms that affect the heart, hands and feet. These include:

Heart
Sick sinus
Bundle branch block

Hands
Brachydactyly which resembles brachydactyly type C
Abnormal development of the middle phalanges of the fingers
Accessory ossicle on the proximal phalange of the index finger. Feet
Subtle feet anomalies such as syndactyly

Etimology
This condition was first discovered by Ruiz de la Fuente et al., when they described a 3-generation family from Spain with the symptoms mentioned above. The cardiac defects varied between family members; 3 members had intraventicular conduction defects and 1 had a sick sinus. In this family, the 2nd and 5th fingers were the most severely affected out of all the fingers. Autosomal dominant inheritance was suspected. == References ==