Detection and treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi: a patent review (2011-2015)

Introduction: Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), which is one of the important parasitic diseases worldwide. The number of infected people with T. cruzi diminished from 18 million in 1991 to 6 million in 2010, but it is still the most prevalent parasitic disease in the Americas. The existing chemotherapy is still deficient and based on two drugs: nifurtimox and benznidazole, which are not FDA-approved in the United States.

Areas covered: This review covers the current and future directions of Chagas disease chemotherapy based on drugs that interfere with relevant metabolic pathways. This article also illustrates the challenges of diagnosis, which in recent infections, is only detected when the parasitemia is high (direct detection); whereas, in the chronic phase is reached after multiple serological tests.

Expert opinion: The current chemotherapy is associated with long term treatments and severe side effects. Nifurtimox and benznidazole are able to cure at least 50% of recent infections. Nevertheless, they suffer from major drawbacks: selective drug sensitivity on different T. cruzi strains and serious side effects. The aim of this review is focused on presenting an up-to-date status of the chemotherapy and diagnosis.