{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T17:09:39Z","timestamp":1780938579612,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,26]],"date-time":"2024-06-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1719360000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>We aimed to characterize the echocardiographic alterations in dogs from an endemic region that were naturally infected with T. cruzi. Dogs (n = 130) seropositive for antibodies against T. cruzi and\/or with acute parasitemia were enrolled in the study. Indicators of changes in the structure and systolic and diastolic functions of the left ventricle (LV) and blood flow patterns were evaluated by echocardiography. The frequency and extent of alterations in these indicators were associated with the severity of the disease. Briefly, 15 (11.54%) dogs were diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and 115 (88.46%) dogs were diagnosed as being without DCM. Infected dogs with DCM exhibited structural features of LV dysfunction, e.g., a significant (p &lt; 0.05) increase in the LV internal diameter at systole and diastole (LVID-s, LVID-d) and a decline in the LV posterior wall (LVPW-d) thickness at diastole. Despite an increase in stroke volume and cardiac output indicating contraction force, DCM resulted in a decreased ejection fraction, affecting systolic function. Dogs that were diagnosed as DCM-negative but were positive for T. cruzi by PCR exhibited a high frequency of an increase in the thickness of the interventricular septum in systole (IVS-s) and the LV posterior wall in diastole (LVPW-d), a decline in the LV inner diameter (LVID-d, LVID-s), and fractional shortening (FS). The thinning of the LVPW at systole was the most defining feature observed in chronically infected dogs. In summary, this is the first study reporting the echocardiographic changes occurring in dogs naturally infected with T. cruzi and developing DCM. Our data suggest that changes in LVID are a major indicator of risk of cardiac involvement, and the observation of changes in the IVS, LVPW, and FS have predictive value in determining the risk of DCM development in infected dogs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani14131884","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,26]],"date-time":"2024-06-26T07:20:06Z","timestamp":1719386406000},"page":"1884","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Echocardiographic Documentation of Dilated Cardiomyopathy Development in Dogs Naturally Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2318-539X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eduardo E.","family":"Avalos-Borges","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Salud Animal y Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Yucat\u00e1n, Km 15.5 Carretera M\u00e9rida-Xmatkuil, Apdo. Postal 4-116 Itzimn\u00e1, M\u00e9rida 97000, Yucat\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4759-9060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos M.","family":"Acevedo-Arcique","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital Veterinario para Perros y Gatos, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Yucat\u00e1n, Av. Itzaes No. 490 x 29, C. 18 No. 271, San Jos\u00e9 Vergel, M\u00e9rida 97000, Yucat\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1329-9948","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jose C.","family":"Segura-Correa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Salud Animal y Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Yucat\u00e1n, Km 15.5 Carretera M\u00e9rida-Xmatkuil, Apdo. Postal 4-116 Itzimn\u00e1, M\u00e9rida 97000, Yucat\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8802-2049","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matilde","family":"Jim\u00e9nez-Coello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Microbiologia, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales \u201cDr. Hideyo Noguchi\u201d, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Yucat\u00e1n, Av. Itzaes No. 490 x 29, M\u00e9rida 97000, Yucat\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3453-2369","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nisha J.","family":"Garg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1070, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8502-8023","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Ortega-Pacheco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Salud Animal y Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Yucat\u00e1n, Km 15.5 Carretera M\u00e9rida-Xmatkuil, Apdo. Postal 4-116 Itzimn\u00e1, M\u00e9rida 97000, Yucat\u00e1n, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Taylor, M.A., Coop, R.L., and Wall, R.L. (2016). Veterinary Parasitology, Wiley-Blackwell. [3rd ed.].","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119073680"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Weese, J.S., and Fulfords, M.B. (2011). Parasitic Diseases. 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