Parasite-induced genetically driven autoimmune chagas disease

Researchers have shown that the Trypanosoma cruzi agent of Chagas disease invades host embryo cells and spreads its mitochondrial DNA (kDNA) minicircles into the host's genome. Scientists inoculated virulent typanosomes in fertile chicken eggs and documented the heritability and fixation of the kDNA mutations in the chicks and their progeny. The results show that kDNA-mutated chickens undergo genotype alterations, developing an inflammatory heart condition similar to Chagas disease in humans.

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