title: Congenital transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi is associated with maternal enhanced parasitemia and decreased production of interferon- gamma in response to parasite antigens.
abstract: The conditions and mechanisms of congenital transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi remain largely unknown. In the present study, we compared the parasitic loads and the immune responses of pregnant T. cruzi-infected women who transmitted parasites to their fetus ("M+B+ mothers") with those of such women who did not transmit parasites to their fetus ("M+B- mothers"). M+B+ mothers had a higher frequency of positive results of hemoculture for T. cruzi than did M+B- mothers, in association with depressed production of parasite-specific interferon- gamma by blood cells that persisted after delivery. In contrast, the production of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and IL-10 and transforming growth factor- beta 1 was similar between both groups of infected mothers, after stimulation with T. cruzi lysate. Flow cytometric analysis showed that T cells and monocytes of M+B+ mothers were less activated than were those of M+B- mothers. Altogether, these results indicate that congenital transmission of T. cruzi is associated with high parasitic loads and peripheral deficient immunological responses in mothers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculte de Medecine, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Truyens
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alonso-Vega
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berthe
authors.forename: Faustino
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Torrico
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Carlier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000151:congenital* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000097:blood; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D007371:Interferon-gamma