Transcriptomic Evidence of Immune Modulation in Subjects With Chronic Trypanosoma cruzi Infection.

This article focuses on transcriptomic changes and immune modulation in individuals with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Using RNA sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asymptomatic and symptomatic infected subjects compared to uninfected controls, the study identified over 200 differentially expressed genes in untreated infected individuals, particularly in symptomatic patients, with immune-related pathways upregulated during infection. Antiparasitic treatment with benznidazole largely normalized gene expression profiles and reduced proinflammatory pathway activity, as well as lowering the kynurenine to tryptophan (K:T) ratio, a marker of chronic immune activation. These findings provide insights into immune exhaustion and inflammation in chronic Chagas disease and suggest potential biomarkers for disease progression and treatment response.