Implications of asymptomatic infection for the natural history of selected parasitic tropical diseases Alvar J. auteur aut IRD Alves F. auteur aut IRD Bucheton Bruno auteur aut IRD Burrows L. auteur aut IRD Buscher P. auteur aut IRD Carrillo E. auteur aut IRD Felger I. auteur aut IRD Hubner M. P. auteur aut IRD Moreno J. auteur aut IRD Pinazo M. J. auteur aut IRD Ribeiro I. auteur aut IRD Sosa-Estani S. auteur aut IRD Specht S. auteur aut IRD Tarral A. auteur aut IRD Wourgaft N. S. auteur aut IRD Bilbe G. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Progress has been made in the control or elimination of tropical diseases, with a significant reduction of incidence. However, there is a risk of re-emergence if the factors fueling transmission are not dealt with. Although it is essential to understand these underlying factors for each disease, asymptomatic carriers are a common element that may promote resurgence; their impact in terms of proportion in the population and role in transmission needs to be determined. In this paper, we review the current evidence on whether or not to treat asymptomatic carriers given the relevance of their role in the transmission of a specific disease, the efficacy and toxicity of existing drugs, the Public Health interest, and the benefit at an individual level, for example, in Chagas disease, to prevent irreversible organ damage. In the absence of other control tools such as vaccines, there is a need for safer drugs with good risk/benefit profiles in order to change the paradigm so that it addresses the complete infectious process beyond manifest disease to include treatment of non-symptomatic infected persons. specialized Asymptomatic Chagas disease Leishmaniasis Filariasis Human African trypanosomiasis Malaria MONDE ZONE TROPICALE 052 050 Seminars in Immunopathology 42 3 231-246 2020 1863-2297 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010078894 10.1007/s00281-020-00796-y 1863-2297 [F B010078894] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010078894 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers20-04/010078894.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2020-05-19 2022-05-04 fdi:010078894 fre