Trypanosoma cruzi: immunological consequences of parasite modification of host cells.
Parasite antigens released from Trypanosoma cruzi-infected cells were adsorbed to infected and uninfected mammalian cells thus rendering them susceptible to immune lysis by antibody and cell-mediated immunity directed against the parasite. BALB/c mice infected with T. cruzi for 15 days developed cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for parasite antigens. At 60 days post infection, however, the mice developed an additional population of cytotoxic T lymphocytes that were able to kill normal syngeneic muscle or neuronederived cell lines in vitro. These '60-day" T lymphocytes did not kill HeLa cells unless they were coated with T. cruzi antigens suggesting that the population of atuoaggressive T lymphocytes was not an artefact due to an increase in natural killer cells.
D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000920:Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity; D002460:Cell Line; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology
D003165:Complement System Proteins