Expression of inhibitory receptors and polyfunctional responses of T cells are linked to the risk of congenital transmission of T. cruzi.

Congenital T. cruzi infections involve multiple factors in which complex interactions between the parasite and the immune system of pregnant women play important roles. In this study, we used an experimental murine model of chronic infection with T.

Effect of secondary anchor amino acid substitutions on the immunogenic properties of an HLA-A*0201-restricted T cell epitope derived from the Trypanosoma cruzi KMP-11 protein.

The TcTLE peptide (TLEEFSAKL) is a CD8(+) T cell HLA-A*0201-restricted epitope derived from the Trypanosoma cruzi KMP-11 protein that is efficiently processed, presented and recognized by CD8(+) T cells from chagasic patients. Since the immunogenic properties of wild-type epitopes may be enhanced by suitable substitutions in secondary anchor residues, we have studied the effect of introducing specific mutations at position 3, 6 and 7 of the TcTLE peptide. Mutations (E3L, S6V and A7F) were chosen on the basis of in silico predictions and in vitro assays were performed to determine the TcTLE-modified peptide binding capacity to the HLA-A*0201 molecule.

Mammalian cellular culture models of Trypanosoma cruzi infection: a review of the published literature.

Cellular culture infection with Trypanosoma cruzi is a tool used to dissect the biological mechanisms behind Chagas disease as well as to screen potential trypanocidal compounds. Data on these models are highly heterogeneous, which represents a challenge when attempting to compare different studies. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the cell culture infectivity assays performed to date.

[Design of a multicolor panel to assess intracellular and surface molecules by flow cytometry].

Introduction: Flow cytometry allows simultaneous detection of surface and intracellular molecules on each cell.

Objective: To describe a method for building up a harmonic multicolor panel with 11 flow cytometry parameters for phenotypic and functional analysis on CD8 + T lymphocytes.

Materials And Methods: For the multicolor panel construction, we selected the molecules and titred conjugated antibodies with fluorochromes for CD3, CD8, CCR7, CD28, CD27, CD45RA, CD95 and CD127 determination in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

A human astrocytoma cell line is highly susceptible to infection with Trypanosoma cruzi.

Astrocytes play a vital role in neuronal protection, homeostasis, vascular interchange and the local immune response. Some viruses and parasites can cross the blood-brain barrier and infect glia. Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas disease, can seriously compromise the central nervous system, mainly in immune-suppressed individuals, but also during the acute phase of the infection.

Chagasic patients are able to respond against a viral antigen from influenza virus.

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease, is an obligate intracellular parasite which induces a CD8+ T cell immune response with secretion of cytokines and release of cytotoxic granules. Although an immune-suppressive effect of T. cruzi on the acute phase of the disease has been described, little is known about the capacity of CD8+ T cell from chronic chagasic patients to respond to a non-T.

Rabbit serum against K1 peptide, an immunogenic epitope of the Trypanosoma cruzi KMP-11, decreases parasite invasion to cells.

KMP-11 is a highly conserved protein of Trypanosoma cruzi implicated in parasite's motility. Here we show that K1, a peptide derived from KMP-11, induced polyclonal antibodies capable of decreasing T. cruzi infection in vitro.

[Using S35-S36 and TcH2AF-R primer-based PCR tests to follow-up a Chagas´ disease patient who had undergone a heart transplant].

Introduction: Cardiomyopathy is the most common clinical form of Chagas' disease in Colombia, and one treatment option is a heart transplant. Tracking the behavior of the Chagas' parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, is a priority due to the risk of post-transplant reactivation of the infection.

Objective: A case is presented of a patient who had suffered from dilated chagasic cardiopathy and cardiac failure, and had subsequently undergone heart transplant.

Characterising the KMP-11 and HSP-70 recombinant antigens' humoral immune response profile in chagasic patients.

Background: Antigen specificity and IgG subclass could be significant in the natural history of Chagas' disease. The relationship between the different stages of human Chagas' disease and the profiles of total IgG and its subclasses were thus analysed here; they were directed against a crude T. cruzi extract and three recombinant antigens: the T.

[Evaluation of TcH2AF-R and S35-S36 primers in PCR tests for the detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in mouse cardiac tissue].

Introduction: Heart transplant is a therapeutic option in the treatment of chagasic cardiomyopathy. For early detection of Chagas reactivation cases, the use of PCR tests using endomyocardial biopsies has been proposed. Development of an animal model will be the first step in evaluating the applicability of this approach.

[The intergenic region of the histone H2a gene supports two major lineages of Trypanosoma rangeli].

Introduction: Trypanosoma rangeli has been classified in the KP1(+) and KP1(-) subpopulations, based on the mini-exon gene and kinetoplast DNA minicircle amplification profiles.

Objective: The intergenic region of the histone h2a gene was compared between KP1(+) and KP1(-) strains of T. rangeli to substantiate this classification.

[Acute Chagas disease in Colombia: a rarely suspected disease. Report of 10 cases presented during the 2002-2005 period].

Introduction: In Colombia, reported cases of acute Chagas disease are sporadic.

Objective: Ten cases were described that had been reported to the Parasitology Laboratory of the Colombian National Health Institute between December 2002 and November 2005.

Materials And Methods: Information from clinical records, epidemiological report forms, laboratory and blood tests was collated.

Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli infection in triatomine vectors by amplification of the histone H2A/SIRE and the sno-RNA-C11 genes.

Trypanosoma rangeli is non pathogenic for humans but of important medical and epidemiological interest because it shares vertebrate hosts, insect vectors, reservoirs and geographic areas with T. cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. Therefore, in this work, we set up two PCR reactions, TcH2AF/R and TrFR2, to distinguish T.