title: Cellular immune response to common mycobacterial antigens in subjects seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi.
abstract: The immune response is impaired in the silent stage of Chagas' disease. We used quadruple skin-testing with new tuberculins in 37 adults who were symptom-free but seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi and in 37 matched seronegative controls. Whereas 19% of controls responded to common mycobacterial antigens, none of the Chagas' seropositive group responded to them (p < 0.006), demonstrating specificity in their unresponsiveness. The enhanced tuberculin reactivity after BCG vaccination in the control group was suppressed in seropositive subjects (p < 0.002). Selective loss of response to common mycobacterial antigens may have implications for the autoimmune pathology of Chagas' disease, and for susceptibility to tuberculosis, leprosy, and HIV disease.
authors.affiliation: Division Inmunologia, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, University Nacional de Rosario, Argentina.
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Bottasso
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ingledew
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keni
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morini
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pividori
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Rook
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stanford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008297:Male; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology; D012882:Skin Tests; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*; D014374:Tuberculin Test
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan