New Scheme of Intermittent Benznidazole Administration in Patients Chronically Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi: Clinical, Parasitological, and Serological Assessment after Three Years of Follow-Up
M Alvarez, Juan Carlos Ramı́rez, Graciela Bertocchi, Marisa Fernández, Yolanda Hernández, Bruno Lococo, Constanza Lopez-Albízu, Alejandro G. Schijman, Carolina Cura, Marcelo Abril, Susana A. Laucella, Rick L. Tarleton, María A. Natale, Melisa Castro Eiro, Sergio Sosa‐Estáni, Rodolfo Viotti
Abstract
proteins, and a cytometric bead array. At the end of follow-up, 14 of 17 (82%) patients had negative qPCR findings, whereas three of 17 (18%) had detectable nonquantifiable findings by at least one of the qPCR techniques. A decline in parasite-specific antibodies at 12 months posttreatment was confirmed by conventional serological tests and the Luminex assays. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 levels increased after treatment, whereas monokine induced by gamma interferon levels decreased. New posttreatment electrocardiographic abnormalities were observed in only one patient who had cardiomyopathy prior to treatment. Together, these data strengthen our previous findings by showing that the intermittent administration of benznidazole results in a low rate of treatment suspension, with treatment efficacy comparable to that of a daily dose of 5 mg/kg for 60 days.