Neuropathy of gastrointestinal Chagas' disease: immune response to myelin antigens.
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.
Oliveira
Elaine C
EC
Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Fujisawa
Márcia M
MM
Hallal Longo
Dannie E M
DE
Farias
Alessandro S
AS
Contin Moraes
Juliana
J
Guariento
Maria Elena
ME
de Almeida
Eros Antônio
EA
Saad
Mario José A
MJ
Langone
Francesco
F
Toyama
Marcos H
MH
Andreollo
Nelson A
NA
Santos
Leonilda M B
LM
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
D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D009185:Myelin Proteins