title: Immunocytochemical reaction of sera from chagasic patients against Trypanosoma cruzi, intestine of Triatoma infestans and normal human heart.
abstract: Chagas disease has been considered by some authors as an autoimmune pathology and denied by others. In this paper we present by means of immunocytochemical reactions with sera of chagasic patients, evidence in favor of the presence of similar antigens in the parasite, vector and non chagasic human heart. The immunocytochemical technique used permits the localization by electron microscopy of the antigens in the peritrophic membrane of the parasite and basement membranes of the vector's midgut and of the myosin band of the normal human heart. These observations support the assumption of an autoimmune response in Chagas disease.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo-CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burgos
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Burgos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology; D004199:Disease Vectors; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000469:parasitology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009206:Myocardium / Q000276:immunology*; D014224:Triatoma / Q000469:parasitology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan