Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in pregnant women chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.
Mother-to-child transmission of intracellular parasites could be related to the production of immunoregulatory cytokines. The levels of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and lnterleukin (IL)-10 were evaluated during pregnancy in sera of women chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi that delivered infected or non-infected children. The levels of IL-10 increased in both, women only pregnant and only infected, compared to non-infected non-pregnant women. However, in pregnant women chronically infected with T. cruzi, IL-10 did not increase significantly, neither in the mothers of infected nor in the mothers of non-infected children. The levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha were not affected in normal pregnancy but increased in the infected mothers of non-infected children. The levels of IFN-gamma did not increase in the groups studied, indicating that the production of this pro-inflammatory cytokine was controlled, even when the levels of IL-10 did not increase, as in pregnant women chronically infected with T. cruzi.
Cardoni
R L
RL
Instituto Nacional de Parasitdogía (INP) "Dr M. Fatala Chabén", ANLIS "C.G. Malbrán", Av. Paseo Colón 568, 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina. rlcardoni@yahoo.com
García
M Martín
MM
De Rissio
A M
AM
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000635:transmission; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000097:blood*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
D016207:Cytokines; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007371:Interferon-gamma