Héctor Serrano-Coll

Helminthiasis refers to infections caused by parasitic worms, which represent a significant global health burden, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The pathophysiology of helminth infections is highly complex, largely due to the intricate interactions between the host's immune system and the parasite's sophisticated immune evasion strategies. These parasites can modulate host immunity to ensure their long‐term survival, often inducing regulatory responses that hinder both natural immunity and vaccine development. However, in recent decades, new vaccine candidates have emerged that show promise in combating these infections. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the host immune response to helminth infections, examine the mechanisms by which helminths evade immune detection, and explore advances in vaccine development as a strategy for controlling these neglected diseases.

Dengue virus (DENV) is an arboviral infection transmitted by female mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. To describe the epidemiological behavior of dengue cases in a population from the Andean region of Colombia. This observational, descriptive, ...

Introduction: Tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) is a neglected disease that affects the skin and mucous membranes. Its detection poses a challenge due to the lack of a gold standard for diagnosis. Objective: To describe the histopathological patterns associated with a group of samples from patients with tegumentary leishmaniasis. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted through histopathological evaluation using hematoxylin-eosin staining on 43 paraffin-embedded samples of chronic tegumentary leishmaniasis, categorized into three groups: moderate to high parasite load (n=15), low load (n=15), and chronic granulomatous inflammation (n=13). Results: Epidermal hyperplasia was observed in 34.9% of cases, and ulcers were present in 62.8% of cases. A predominant lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate was found in 67.4% of samples, while a histiocytic infiltrate was observed in 90.7% of samples. In samples with no detectable parasite load, the histiocytic infiltrate was present in 94.8% of cases. In samples with low parasite load, the histiocytic infiltrate was significant in 55.5% of cases, and 86.6% of the samples with moderate to high parasite load exhibited this histopathological pattern. Conclusions: Lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic infiltrates are consistent histopathological patterns, even in samples with low or absent parasite load.

Chagas disease is a parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Although the host immune response has been extensively studied, important knowledge gaps remain, particularly regarding the complex and multifaceted immune evasion mechanisms employed by the parasite, both at the innate and adaptive levels. In recent years, multiple promising vaccine candidates have been developed, but further evaluation is needed across the different phases of clinical trials. Therefore, the aim of this review is to examine the host immune response to T. cruzi, the parasite’s immune evasion strategies and recent advances in vaccine development aimed at controlling infection.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania species and transmitted by the bite of infected female sandflies. It primarily affects the skin and mucous membranes, with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations that depend mainly on the host’s immune response. The immune balance between Th1, Th17, and Th2 pathways plays a pivotal role in disease progression and outcome. Hyperergic responses (Th1/Th17) are associated with localized and mucosal forms, while anergic responses (Th2/Treg) underline disseminated and diffuse cutaneous forms. Despite its global prevalence, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, cutaneous leishmaniasis remains underdiagnosed and mismanaged due to limited awareness of its immunopathogenesis, clinical diversity, and diagnostic limitations. Treatment continues to rely primarily on pentavalent antimonial compounds, which have significant toxicity, underscoring the urgent need for safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives. This narrative review examines the immune response, clinical manifestations, diagnostic methods, and medical management strategies for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Understanding the complex interplay between immune responses and clinical manifestations is essential for improving diagnosis and treatment

Leprosy is an infectious disease characterized by a broad immunological spectrum, which underlies its diverse clinical presentations and contributes to the physical and emotional disabilities experienced by patients with leprosy. Understanding the immunopathogenic mechanisms of this disease is essential for interpreting clinical manifestations and conventional diagnostic tests and developing diagnostic strategies for leprosy detection. This review aims to provide an overview of the immune response, clinical features and emerging diagnostic approaches in leprosy.

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus. Its pathophysiology is highly complex, as it depends both on the host's immune response and the parasite's evasion mechanisms, which are often species‐specific. This complexity has posed significant challenges to vaccine development and malaria control. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the host's immunological mechanisms, the parasite's evasion strategies and the available vaccines, as well as their relationship with the human immune response in controlling Plasmodium infection.

Not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a chronic granulomatous disease affecting the skin and mucous membranes. It is caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan of the genus Leishmania, transmitted through the bite of a female sandfly of the genus Phlebotomus or Lutzomyia. The host immune response plays a crucial role in the development of the clinical form of the disease. An imbalance favoring Th1 and Th17 responses promotes localized cutaneous or mucosal forms, whereas a Th2 response is associated with generalized forms, such as disseminated or diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis. Currently, medical treatment remains based on pentavalent antimonial compounds, which induce host toxicity, underscoring the need to explore new therapeutic options.

Introduction: Leprosy is a neglected infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis and remains a public health challenge in tropical regions. Therefore, the development of technological tools such as machine learning (ML) offers an opportunity to innovate strategies for improving the diagnosis of this complex disease. Objective: To validate the utility of different ML models for the histopathological diagnosis of Hansen disease. Methodology: An observational study was conducted where 55 H&E-stained tissue slides from leprosy patients and 51 healthy skin controls were analyzed using microphotographs captured at various magnifications. These images were categorized based on histopathological findings and processed using the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining methodology for designing and training ML models. Five types of ML models were evaluated using standard metrics such as accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, emphasizing data normalization as a fundamental step in optimizing model performance. Results: The artificial neural network (ANN) model demonstrated an accuracy of 70%, sensitivity of 74%, and specificity of 65%, demonstrating its ability to identify leprosy cases with moderate precision. The receiver operating characteristic curve of the ANN model showed an area under the curve of 0.71. Conversely, models such as decision trees, logistic regression, and random forests showed similar accuracy results but with slightly lower sensitivity, potentially indicating a higher risk of false negatives in detecting leprosy-positive cases. Conclusion: The ANN model emerges as a promising alternative for leprosy detection. However, further refinement of these models is necessary to enhance their adaptability across different clinical settings and participation in patient care.