title: Trypanosoma cruzi: course of infection in platelets-depleted mice.
abstract: The effect of platelet depletion on the course of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in BALB/c mice was investigated. Thrombocytopenia was achieved by inoculation of rabbit anti-platelet IgG during the parasitemic phase of the infection. The number of parasites in the blood of anti-platelet IgG treated was significantly higher than that of non-treated control mice, during the phase of high parasitemia. Cumulative mortality of platelet-depleted mice was consistently but not significantly higher than that of control mice up to the 32nd day of infection; from the 33rd day on they were equivalent, no mortalities occurring from then on, until observations were discontinued on the 60th day. These results suggest that platelets participate of the mechanisms of parasites removal from the bloodstream, but do not have an effective role in the mechanisms of defence against T. cruzi, during the acute phase of infection.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Laboratório de Investigação Médica 06, Brasil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Irulegui
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Deane
authors.forename: R de C
authors.initials: Rde C
authors.lastname: Ruiz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000276:immunology*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015941:Complement Hemolytic Activity Assay; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D013997:Time Factors