title: Neuropathy of gastrointestinal Chagas' disease: immune response to myelin antigens.
abstract: Most reports of autoimmune response during infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi have dealt with the cardiomyopathic form of Chagas' disease, but little is known about the mechanisms of tissue damage involved in the gastrointestinal form, which was studied here. Chronically infected patients with a severe gastrointestinal form of Chagas' disease present increased antibody production and proliferative responses to peripheral myelin components, such as myelin basic protein (MBP), which is homologous to the P1 protein fraction of peripheral myelin. T lymphocytes preferentially recognize a region on the MBP molecule (1-30), which suggests that the MBP is a potential target on the peripheral nerve for autoimmune reactions in patients with gastrointestinal lesions resulting from Chagas' disease.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elaine C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Márcia M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.forename: Dannie E M
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Hallal Longo
authors.forename: Alessandro S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Contin Moraes
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Guariento
authors.forename: Eros Antônio
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Mario José A
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Langone
authors.forename: Marcos H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Toyama
authors.forename: Nelson A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Andreollo
authors.forename: Leonilda M B
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017615:Enteric Nervous System / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology; D009185:Myelin Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D009185:Myelin Proteins