BABOON MODEL FOR THE GENETICS OF CHAGAS DISEASE

这个子项目是许多利用 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 恰加斯病是一种人畜共患病，流行于中美洲、南美洲和美国南部。 恰加斯病的病原体是原生动物寄生虫克氏锥虫，它通过昆虫媒介传播给脊椎动物宿主。 恰加斯病是一个严重的公共卫生问题它是中美洲和南美洲心脏病和心血管死亡的主要原因，只有疟疾和血吸虫病造成更大的热带疾病负担。据估计，这种疾病感染了16拉丁美洲有1800万人，1.2亿人面临感染风险。 大约27%的感染者会出现心脏症状，9%的病例会发展为胃肠道或周围神经系统受累。没有预防感染的疫苗，也没有安全有效的治疗药物。 据估计，至少有100 000名感染者居住在美国，这引起了公众对血库和组织库安全性的关注。 在西南生物医学研究基金会（圣安东尼奥，TX），一个大型的狒狒纯种群体，其中许多已经自然感染了T。cruzi的研究为将狒狒作为研究人类恰加斯病的流行病学、病理学和遗传学的灵长类动物模型提供了机会。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Chagas disease is a zoonotic disease endemic to Central and South America and the southern US. The causative agent of Chagas disease is the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to vertebrate hosts via an insect vector. Chagas disease is a serious public health issueit is the leading cause of heart disease and cardiovascular death in Central and South America, and only malaria and schistosomiasis pose greater tropical disease burdens. The disease is estimated to infect 1618 million people in Latin America, and 120 million people are at risk of becoming infected. About 27% of those infected will develop cardiac symptoms, and 9% of cases progress to gastrointestinal or peripheral nervous system involvement. There are no vaccines to prevent infection, and no safe and effective drugs for therapy. It is estimated that at least 100,000 infected persons reside in the United States, raising public health concerns regarding the safety of blood and tissue banks. At Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (San Antonio, TX) a large, pedigreed colony of baboons, many of which have become infected naturally with T. cruzi, has provided an opportunity to develop the baboon as a primate model for studying the epidemiology, pathology, and genetics of Chagas disease in humans.