INTRODUCTION
infection, Chagas disease, Chagasic cardiomyopathy
AMERICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS, DISEASE, PARASITIC DISEASE, CHAGAS DISEASE, DISORDERS, CHRONIC CHAGAS DISEASE, INFECTION
Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is a potentially life-threatening parasitic disease caused by the hemoflagellate protozoan Chagas disease has two phases: an initial acute phase of 6 to 8 weeks and then, if the patient is not treated, a chronic phase, which can be indeterminate, lasting years or decades, or symptomatic. About two-thirds of patients display the indeterminate chronic form without clinical signs or symptoms, but in up to 40% of patients, Chagas disease can progress to the symptomatic chronic form 10 to 30 years after the initial infection, with affected patients experiencing a range of clinical manifestations, including cardiac, digestive system, neurological, or combined disorders. The most serious manifestation of the disease is Chagasic cardiomyopathy (Two pharmacological agents have been available for the treatment of The current standard criterion for cure involves the conversion of serological response to negative as measured by at least two different types of conventional serological assay, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), or indirect immunofluorescence assay (We evaluated the changes in serological profile in pediatric patients with acute or chronic Chagas disease following treatment with a new formulation of nifurtimox for 60 days. Patients were enrolled in a prospective, historically controlled, phase III clinical trial: the 