title: Trypanosoma cruzi: Serum levels of nitric oxide and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in myocardium and spleen of dogs in the acute stage of infection with metacyclic or blood trypomastigotes.
abstract: The participation of nitric oxide (NO) in the control of blood parasitemia and parasitism during the acute phase of infection in dogs inoculated with blood trypomastigotes (BT) or metacyclic trypomastigotes (MT group) of Berenice-78 Trypanosoma cruzi strain has been evaluated. Animals of the MT group (n=4) presented increased levels of serum NO throughout the infection when compared with the BT (n=4) or control (n=4) groups, and a delay in parasitemia peak compared with the BT group. In spleen fragments, tissue parasitism was not observed but the MT group presented larger areas associated with inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in relation to BT and control groups. Heart fragments of MT-infected animals exhibited comparatively low tissue parasitism and high iNOS expression, while animals of the BT group presented high inflammatory infiltrate, high tissue parasitism and low iNOS expression. These results indicate that the source of inoculum can interfere with the development of the acute phase of Chagas disease, and may also trigger a distinct parasite-host interaction during this phase.
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Campus Universitário Morro do Cruzeiro, 35 400-000 Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Melo de Abreu
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Amanda Fortes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Francisco
authors.forename: Sheler Martins
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Luiz Cosme Cotta
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Malaquias
authors.forename: Alexandre Barbosa
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Rodolfo Cordeiro
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Giunchetti
authors.forename: Vanja Maria
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Veloso
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Lana
authors.forename: Washington Luiz
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.forename: Cláudia Martins
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Carneiro
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D009206:Myocardium / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D011817:Rabbits; D013154:Spleen / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D014224:Triatoma; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II