The thymus in Chagas Disease: molecular interactions involved in abnormal T-cell migration and differentiation

ANA ROSA PEREZ; JULIANA DE MEIS; RODRIGUEZ GALÁN MARIA CECILIA; WILSON SAVINO

Frontiers in immunology

Frontiers

Lugar: Lausanne; Año: 2020

hagas disease is a prevalent parasitic disease in Latin America. Presently, it is spreading around the world by human migration, thus representing a new global health issue. The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) is the etiological agent of Chagas disease. It can be transmitted to humans by triatomine insects after skin or mucosal biting (vector transmission), congenitally (vertical transmission), by ingestion of contaminated food (oral transmission), and to a lesser extent through blood transfusion, organ transplantation and laboratory accidents. Chronically infected individuals reveal a dissimilar disease progression: while nearly 60% remain without apparent disease for life, 30% develop life-threatening pathologies, such as cardiomyopathy or megaviscerae. Concerning the immune response to T. cruzi infection, after primoinfection, there is a systemic production of proinflammatory cytokines like IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF-α, which are crucial to controlling parasitem