Researchers at UGA provide first look at protein expression in Chagas disease-causing...( Nearly 20 million people worldwide are ...)

Nearly 20 million people worldwide are infected with a parasitic ailment called Chagas Disease, and nearly a third of those will develop severe heart trouble. Although options for treatment are poor and there are no vaccines, a new study by scientists at the University of Georgia of proteins in the parasite that causes the disease may offer hope.

The first-ever global survey of protein expression in the four lifecycle stages of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes the disease, could help lead to vaccine discovery and new drug targets, according to Dr. Rick Tarleton, a cellular biologist in UGA's Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD) and lead researcher.

"This work provides a first view into some of the complex biology of this organism," said Tarleton. "It helps tell us which of its genes are expressed as proteins and in what stages."

The research was published today in the journal Science. The research was conducted by Tarleton with colleagues James Atwood and Brent Weatherly, also of the CTEGD; Dr. Ron Orlando and his laboratory at UGA's Complex Carbohydrate Research Center; and with help from Dr. Fred Opperdoes of Catholic University in Brussels.

The paper is part of a large section on parasite genomes in the current issue of Science. Tarleton is co-author of the paper on the T. cruzi genome.

Chagas Disease is a pervasive problem in tropical climates. The disorder is named after Brazilian doctor Carlos Chagas who first discovered the parasite that causes the disease in 1910. While T. cruzi is also found in many other animals, including cats, dogs and rodents, it is unlikely that the parasite in those animals can be transmitted directly to humans. The disease in people is transmitted by insects that bite humans then defecate, passing the parasite into the blood stream when victims scratch the wound site or touch it and then touch a vulnerable mucus membrane site such as the eyes.

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Contact: Kim Carlyle
kcarlyle@uga.edu
706-583-0913
University of Georgia
14-Jul-2005

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