Differential expression of Trypanosoma cruzi I associated with clinical forms of Chagas disease: Overexpression of oxidative stress proteins in acute patient isolate

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, presents a high degree of intraspecific genetic variability, with possible implications for the clinical forms of the disease, like the development of cardiopathy, megaesophagus, and megacolon, alone or in combination. This tissue tropism involved in the pathogenesis of Chagas disease has still not been totally elucidated. Thus, the current review approaches key aspects of T. cruzi genetic diversity, the clinical forms of Chagas disease, and the infection of the host cell by the parasite and the immune response. Other aspects discussed here include the release of immunosuppressive factors by the parasite, acting in the host's immune response pathways; host cell apoptosis inhibition; the pathogenesis of chagasic megaesophagus, which can be related to host-parasite interaction; and finally the association between megaesophagus and increased risk for the development of squamous-cell esophageal carcinoma. However, despite great advances in the understanding of this disease, it is still not possible to establish the true relationship between the parasite's genetic variability and the clinical form of Chagas disease.

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Antibodies Reactive to Trypanosoma cruzi Epimastigotes or Amastigotes Express Different Idiotypic Patterns if from Patients with Different Clinical Forms of Chagas' Disease

Scandinavian Journal of Immunology ◽

10.1046/j.1365-3083.1996.d01-262.x ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 671-679

Author(s):

R. RIBEIRO‐RODRIGUES ◽

D. G. COLLEY ◽

R. CORREA‐OLIVEIRA ◽

C. E. CARTER

Keyword(s):

Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽

Chagas Disease ◽

Clinical Forms

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Trypanosoma cruzi-Induced Activation of Functionally Distinct αβ and γδ CD4− CD8− T Cells in Individuals with Polar Forms of Chagas' Disease

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00179-10 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 78 (10) ◽

pp. 4421-4430 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Fernanda Nobre Amaral Villani ◽

Manoel Otávio da Costa Rocha ◽

Maria do Carmo Pereira Nunes ◽

Lis Ribeiro do Valle Antonelli ◽

Luisa Mourão Dias Magalhães ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽

Chagas Disease ◽

Inflammatory Cytokines ◽

Interleukin 10 ◽

Protective Role ◽

Clinical Forms ◽

Polar Forms ◽

Clinical Measures

ABSTRACT CD4− CD8− (double-negative [DN]) T cells have recently been shown to display important immunological functions in human diseases. They express γδ or αβ T-cell receptors that recognize lipid/glycolipid antigens presented via the nonclassical major histocompatibility complex molecules of the CD1 family. We recently demonstrated that while αβ DN T cells serve primarily to express inflammatory cytokines, γδ DN T cells express mainly interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis. We also demonstrated a correlation between DN T cells and the expression of gamma interferon in the acute phase of Trypanosoma cruzi experimental infection. In this work, we sought to investigate whether αβ or γδ DN T cells display distinct immunoregulatory potentials in patients with polar forms of human Chagas' disease. Our data showed that in vitro infection with T. cruzi leads to expansion of DN T cells in patients with the indeterminate and severe cardiac clinical forms of the disease. However, while αβ DN T cells primarily produce inflammatory cytokines in both forms of the disease, γδ DN T cells display a marked, significant increase in antigen-specific IL-10 expression in indeterminate patients relative to cardiac patients. Finally, higher frequencies of the IL-10-producing γδ DN T cells were correlated with improved clinical measures of cardiac function in the patients, suggesting a protective role for these cells in Chagas' disease. Taken together, these data show distinct functional characteristics for αβ and γδ DN T cells associated with distinct morbidity rates and clinical forms in human Chagas' disease.

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