Trypanosoma cruzi high infectivity in vitro is related to cardiac lesions during long-term infection in beagle dogs.
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Date
2007
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Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a hemoflagelate parasite associated with heart dysfunctions causing serious problems
in Central and South America. Beagle dogs develop the symptoms of Chagas disease in humans, and could be
an important experimental model for better understanding the immunopathogenic mechanisms involved in the
chagasic infection. In the present study we investigated the relation among biological factors inherent to the
parasite (trypomastigote polymorphism and in vitro infectivity) and immunoglobulin production, inflammation,
and fibrosis in the heart of Beagle dogs infected with either T. cruzi Y or Berenice-78 strains. In vitro
infectivity of Vero cells as well as the extension of cardiac lesions in infected Beagle was higher for Y strain
when compared to Berenice-78 strain. These data suggested that in vitro infectivity assays may correlate with
pathogenicity in vivo. In fact, animals infected with Y strain, which shows prevalence of slender forms and high
infectivity in vitro, presented cardiomegaly, inflammation, and fibrosis in heart area. Concerning the immunoglobulin
production, no statistically significant difference was observed for IgA, IgM or IgG levels among T.
cruzi infected animals. However, IgA together IgM levels have shown to be a good marker for the acute phase of
Chagas disease.
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Keywords
Chagas disease, Antibodies
Citation
GUEDES, P. M. da M. et al. Trypanosoma cruzi high infectivity in vitro is related to cardiac lesions during long-term infection in beagle dogs. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, v. 102, p.141-147, 2007. Disponível em: <http://www.scielo.br/pdf/mioc/v102n2/5685.pdf>. Acesso em: 10 jan. 2017.