Premium
Local and systemic cytokine expression during experimental chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a Cebus monkey model
Author(s) -
Samudio Margarita,
MontenegroJames Sonia,
Kasamatsu Elena,
Cabral Margarita,
Schinini Alicia,
Rojas De Arias Antonieta,
James Mark A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3024.1999.00242.x
Subject(s) - biology , trypanosoma cruzi , parasitemia , cytokine , immunology , chagas disease , virology , pathology , medicine , parasite hosting , world wide web , computer science , plasmodium falciparum , malaria
Cebus apella is an acceptable model for chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC), since it is possible to experimentally induce cardiac lesions after 1 year of Trypanosoma cruzi infection . The T. cruzi Y strain, shown previously to produce CCC in C. apella monkeys, was used to experimentally infect 10 monkeys. Parasitological, serological and clinical parameters were monitored during a 19‐month follow‐up, and systemic cytokine responses were assessed sequentially in five monkeys selected according to the differential parasitemia pattern exhibited. Ten additional monkeys, infected with the same strain for 5, 10 and 12 years, were analysed cross‐sectionally. Three monkeys/time point and one uninfected control animal were sacrificed for gross pathology, histology, presence of parasites, and local cytokine gene expression. Elevated expression of interleukin (IL)‐4 was observed throughout the study in monkeys that had persistent, high parasitemias, whereas a high level of interferon (IFN)‐γ was seen in monkeys that controlled parasitemias soon after infection. Chronically infected monkeys expressed a nonpolarized, Th0‐type response. Cardiac tissue collected from a monkey that succumbed to acute infection had elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokine [IL‐1β, IL‐6, tumour necrosis factor‐α] and interstitial cell adhesion molecule (ICAM)‐1, platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF)‐α, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β and IL‐10 transcripts. Cytokine production in cardiac tissue of chronically infected monkeys was also characterized by elevated expression of ICAM‐1, PDGF‐α and TGF‐β, which correlated with the detection of T. cruzi DNA by polymerase chain reaction .