Stressed Out

Endemic to South and Central America, and thought to affect around 8 million people worldwide, Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, usually transmitted by blood-sucking bugs. Infection with T. cruzi causes oxidative stress in cells, a phenomenon characterised by an increase in harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS), beyond the cells’ capacity to detoxify. This ultimately disrupts proteins and DNA, as in these infected cells (pictured, with parasites in green), where red highlights chemical evidence of DNA damage. In a recent study, researchers tracked signs of DNA damage over the course of infection in cultured human cells, to better understand the relationship between the parasite and oxidative stress. T. cruzi appears to benefit from higher levels of ROS; several treatments designed to raise antioxidant levels, and thus decrease the amount of ROS, actually reduced parasite growth inside cells, suggesting new avenues to explore for possible therapies.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image from work by Pilar T. V. Florentino and colleagues
• Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in PLOS Pathogens, April 2021