02841: Antigen Discovery for an Improved Serologic Diagnostic of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Dogs
Grant Status: Closed
One Health: Yes
Abstract
Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi (T.cruzi) parasites and it represents a major public health problem in the Americas. Dogs play a key role in parasite transmission cycles and can develop severe cardiac disease following infection with the parasite. Infection in dogs has been reported in multiple states in the U.S., but the lack of accurate diagnostic tests complicates disease surveillance and reliable identification of cases. There is a critical need for a more reliable test that can detect all infections with this parasite. This study aims to develop a new test for the accurate diagnostic of T. cruzi infection in dogs. The availability of a new diagnostic test may facilitate timely identification of Chagas disease cases and improve veterinary care. The test may also be broadly applicable to other species and could lead to an improved test for humans.
Publication(s)
None at this time.
Related Grants
- 03087: Epidemiology of Trypanosoma cruzi and Other Vector-borne Pathogens in Hunting Dogs in Virginia and West Virginia
- 03083-A: Investigation into the Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Vector-borne Pathogen Coinfections in a Population of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected Dogs from Texas
Help Future Generations of Dogs
Participate in canine health research by providing samples or by enrolling in a clinical trial. Samples are needed from healthy dogs and dogs affected by specific diseases.