title: Anti-heart tissue antibodies during experimental infections with pathogenic and non-pathogenic Trypanosoma cruzi isolates in dogs.
abstract: Dogs infected with a pathogenic Trypanosoma cruzi isolate (Tc-O), or a non-pathogenic isolate (Tc-D) developed low antinuclear antibody titers throughout 240 days of infection. Dogs infected with Tc-O, but not Tc-D, produced anti-heart tissue antibodies (as measured by an ELISA) throughout infection. Antibody levels were highest immediately after the acute stage of infection (30 days post-inoculation--DPI) when myocardiocyte destruction was at its greatest. Antibody levels progressively declined by 100 DPI, and were almost undetectable by 240 DPI when Tc-O infected dogs developed dilated cardiomyopathy. On Western blots, the anti-heart tissue antibodies recognized an antigen with the same molecular weights (65 and 61 kDa M(r)) recognized by a monoclonal antibody against human beta-adrenoceptors. The results suggest that dogs produce antibodies against heart tissue antigens, possibly the beta-adrenoceptor, during infection with a pathogenic, but not a non-pathogenic, isolate of T. cruzi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Barr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000276:immunology*; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000276:immunology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta