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.
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.
Vieira
Paula Melo de Abreu
PM
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.
Francisco
Amanda Fortes
AF
de Souza
Sheler Martins
SM
Malaquias
Luiz Cosme Cotta
LC
Reis
Alexandre Barbosa
AB
Giunchetti
Rodolfo Cordeiro
RC
Veloso
Vanja Maria
VM
de Lana
Marta
M
Tafuri
Washington Luiz
WL
Carneiro
Cláudia Martins
CM
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*
D009569:Nitric Oxide; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II