RECENT RESULTS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE GROUP

a. We developed a molecular method to detect protozoa in water (Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, Blastocytis). Currently we work in the application of that method to detect viable forms by measuring RNAm amounts that would determine their infectivity (financed by Colciencias).

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b. We performed the national multicentric newborn screening program in Colombia that determined the frequency of congenital toxoplasmosis in 15,000 newborns from seven cities of four different natural regions.

http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0001195 .

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c. In congenital toxoplasmosis we validated clinically the avidity result in newborns as a new criteria for early diagnosis of congenital infection, increasing the number of children that can be detected before the three months of life

http://journals.lww.com/pidj/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2013&issue=06000&article=00030&type=abstract

d. In ocular toxoplasmosis we discovered recently that severe ocular inflammatory reactions are linked to infection with strains harboring the virulent allele of ROP18 gen of Toxoplasma.

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383576913001724

Also in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg we found that ocular infection is more severe in Colombian than in French patients and this was linked to the infecting strain of Toxoplasma and with a different cytokine profile

http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0002541

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d. We identified biochemical signatures for adhesion proteins in Toxoplasma that was the basis for the development of a new software

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3488833/

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