Padilla-Valdez José Miguel, Antonio-Campos Alberto, Montes-Vergara Yessenia, González-Quiroz José Luis, Domínguez-López María Lilia, Martínez-Hernández Fernando, Buendía-Salcedo Fernando, Bolaños-Rosales Felipe, Alejandre-Aguilar Ricardo, Rivas Nancy
Departamento de Parasitología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prolongación de Carpio y Calle Plan de Ayala S/N, Santo Tomás, Miguel Hidalgo, C. P. 11340, Mexico City, Mexico.
Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prolongación de Carpio y Calle Plan de Ayala S/N, Santo Tomás, Miguel Hidalgo, C. P. 11340, Mexico City, Mexico.
Parasitol Res. 2025 Feb 18;124(2):23. doi: 10.1007/s00436-025-08464-6.
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, remains a significant public health problem in Mexico, particularly challenging to diagnose during its chronic phase, due to low parasitemia and the complex immune response. According to the Pan American Health Organization, no single test is sufficiently sensitive or specific to reliably detect chronic Chagas disease, requiring the use of multiple serological methods when results are inconclusive. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Chagas disease in the largely uncharted municipalities of the North of State of Mexico. A total of 250 serum samples from 17 municipalities were analyzed using a comprehensive approach involving three serological tests: the BIO-CHAGAS commercial kit (MEXLAB®), an ELISA test with antigens derived from an endemic strain, and a confirmatory Western blot analysis. The results revealed that 240 samples were negative, 3 were inconclusive, and 7 were positive, yielding a seroprevalence rate of 2.8% (7/250). The endemicity demonstrated in the municipalities of Hueypoxtla and Tequixquiac, combined with the documented presence of the vector Triatoma barberi in these areas, suggests an ongoing risk of T. cruzi transmission. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, including increased surveillance, community awareness, vector control programs, screening tests to identify cases, and prompt treatment, to curb the spread of Chagas disease in this region.
恰加斯病由克氏锥虫引起,在墨西哥仍然是一个重大的公共卫生问题,特别是在慢性期由于寄生虫血症水平低和免疫反应复杂而难以诊断。根据泛美卫生组织的说法,没有单一的检测方法具有足够的敏感性或特异性来可靠地检测慢性恰加斯病,当结果不确定时需要使用多种血清学方法。本研究旨在评估墨西哥州北部大部分未开发市镇的恰加斯病血清流行率。使用包括三项血清学检测的综合方法对来自17个市镇的250份血清样本进行了分析:BIO-CHAGAS商用试剂盒(MEXLAB®)、一种使用源自地方菌株的抗原的ELISA检测以及确证性的蛋白质印迹分析。结果显示,240份样本为阴性,3份结果不确定,7份为阳性,血清流行率为2.8%(7/250)。韦波斯特拉和特基克斯基亚克市镇显示出的地方性,再加上这些地区有记录的传播媒介巴氏锥蝽的存在,表明存在克氏锥虫持续传播的风险。这些发现强调了有针对性的公共卫生干预措施的迫切需要,包括加强监测、提高社区意识、实施病媒控制计划、开展筛查检测以发现病例以及及时治疗,以遏制恰加斯病在该地区的传播。