Exacerbation of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mice treated with the immunoregulatory agent cyclosporin A.
Treatment with the immunoregulatory fungus metabolite cyclosporin A exacerbated the course of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in outbred as well as in inbred BALB/c mice. This effect was not observed in congenitally athymic, nu/nu, mice but was readily reproduced in their thymus-bearing, nu/+, littermates. These results suggest that the deleterious action of cyclosporin A on the course of experimental Chagas' disease results from activity of the drug on thymus or thymus-derived lymphocytes and emphasizes the role of T cells in host defense against T. cruzi infection.
D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D003524:Cyclosporins