Cell-mediated immunity in experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
Infection of humans with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi leads to Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, a disease that affects nearly 20 million people, and constitutes one of the largest socioeconomic burdens in Latin America. Much of the present knowledge on pathogenic mechanisms underlying T. cruzi infection comes from experimental murine models. Here, George A. DosReis reviews recent findings about the features of host cell-mediated immunity against the parasite and possible mechanisms leading to chronic infection.
DosReis
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Immunobiology Program, Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco G, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21944-970, Brazil.