Chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) is the most serious manifestation of the chronic phase of Chagas’ disease and constitutes the most common type of chronic myocarditis in the world (Guerri-Guttenberg, et al., 2008, Milei, et al., 1996a, Milei, et al., 2009, Milei, et al., 1992a, Storino, et al., 1992). Chagas’ disease, a chronic illness caused by the flagellate parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T...

The protozoan pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease, one of the most important parasitic infections in Latin America. Without effective treatment , infection is usually for life. A likely outcome of infection is heart disease, with electrocardiogram abnormalities and car-diomyopathy. In some geographical areas, this may be complicated by megasyn-dromes, particularly megaesophagus and...

The digestive form of Chagas disease, first individualized by JM Rezende (1959 Rev Goiana Med 5: 193), represents, together with the cardiac form, the most important manifestation of the chronic phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The anatomopathologic basis of the digestive form of Chagas disease is denervation of the complex network of intramural neurons (M Amorin & A Correia Neto 1932 An F...

observation that infection can precipitate an autoimmune disease dates back more than a century. The first human autoimmune disease described, paroxysmal cold hemoglobulinuria, was thought of as a late consequence of syphilis, and rheumatic fever is still associated with preceding streptococcal infection. In modern times, these associations have been attributed to molecular mimicry. In its simp...

Many neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) began millions of years ago as enzoonotic diseases of wild animals that subsequently infected humans, leading in many cases to anthropozoonoses [2]. Because of their impoverished circumstances, most humans infected with NTD agents have few choices but to face daily the intense selective pressures associated with high levels of exposure and transmission th...

More than 2.5 billion individuals living in the tropics are estimated at risk of contracting at least 1 neglected tropical disease. Half of these individuals may be exposed to or have concomitantly ≥2 neglected tropical diseases, including those caused by helminths, schistosomes, parasitic protozoans, and viruses. Although the death toll caused by all neglected tropical diseases is not as high ...

Background: Vascular ring anomalies were congenital malformation of the great vessels, caused by defects in embryogenesis of the aortic arches. In dogs the most common type is persistent right aortic arch (PRAA). The PRAA occurs when the fourth right aortic arch persists instead of left to form the aorta. This malformation causes extraluminal compression of the esophagus up to the base of the h...

World Health Organization statistics show that deaths worldwide from chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) now exceed those from infectious diseases [1]. The major CNCDs causing the greatest share of deaths and disability worldwide include cardiovascular conditions (mainly heart disease and stroke), some cancers, chronic respiratory conditions, and type 2 diabetes [2]. Together they account ...