research guide - UTEP Magazine - University of Texas at El Paso

Chagas Disease
Common to Latin America, Chagas creeps into the U.S.
Spread by a parasite-laden insect
known as the kissing bug, Chagas disease is
endemic throughout Latin America, infecting
about 11 million people. Chagas can lead
to miserable gastrointestinal problems
and even deadly heart conditions.
With immigration to the United States
from Latin America increasing, the Centers for
Disease Control estimates that at least 100,000
people in the United States are infected with
Chagas. Screenings of blood donations has
shown that one in every 27,500 donors tests
positive for Chagas, with significantly higher
rates in states with large Hispanic populations.
At UTEP, Biological Sciences Associate
Professor Igor Almeida, Ph.D., is studying
the Chagas’ parasite, Trypanosoma
cruzi, with a goal of developing improved
treatments for the disease.
Currently, antiparasitic drugs are used
to treat Chagas, with mixed results. Almeida
is hoping his research will lead to a vaccine.
“The social and economic burden of
Chagas disease is still very high, and there
is an urgent need for the development of
new therapeutic approaches,” he says.
The National Institutes of Health recently
awarded Almeida a five year, $1.5 million grant
for his research on the Chagas’ parasite.
Igor Almeida, Ph.D.
“We have been trying to
understand how the parasite is
able to modulate and evade the
host immune response at both
acute and chronic phases of the
infection.”
Research Guide | 21