title: Acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection: IL-12, IL-18, TNF, sTNFR and NO in T. rangeli-vaccinated mice.
abstract: We have developed an experimental model of vaccination against the infection with the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease in Latin America. Vaccination was performed with Trypanosoma rangeli, a non-pathogenic protozoa sharing many antigens with T. cruzi. It strongly protected BALB/c mice, sharply reducing parasitaemia and mortality rate of the acute T. cruzi infection. The aim of the present work was to complete our previous study on the production of IFN-gamma and IL-10 in this vaccination model by investigating the production of IL-12p35 and p40, IL-18, TNF, TNF soluble receptors (sTNFR), and nitric oxide (NO), factors known to play a key role in the outcome of T. cruzi infection. We show that the protection obtained against the acute T. cruzi infection was surprisingly associated with reduced circulating levels of IL-18 and NO, whereas the release of IL-12p40 was enhanced in comparison to non-vaccinated infected animals. IL-12p35 remained undetectable in infected animals, vaccinated or not. The balance between sTNFR and TNF suggested a decrease of TNF bioactivity in vaccinated mice. These results show that the protection induced by the vaccination with T. rangeli against a challenging infection with T. cruzi is not associated with the strong type 1 immune response usually involved in the control of intracellular pathogens, particularly questioning the protective role of NO during the acute phase of T. cruzi infection.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba y Servicio Nacional de Chagas, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Basso
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cervetta
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Carlier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Truyens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000276:immunology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D020382:Interleukin-18; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D018664:Interleukin-12; D009569:Nitric Oxide