Regulation of Innate Immunity during Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

Abstract

Chagas Heart disease is caused by the infection with T. cruzi. The mechanisms of disease progression remain largely unknown although it has been reported that parasite persistence as well as the intensity of the inflammatory immune response are determinants for the clinical manifestations of the disease. Through a long co-evolutionary history, both the human immune system and the pathogen have acquired diverse mechanisms to interact, guaranteeing their mutual survival. Even though inflammation is indispensable for host defense and tissue repair, when deregulated or disproportionate, it can contribute to continuous tissue injury, organ dysfunction, and disease. Thus, the immune system has acquired a great complexity in order to maintain the host's integrity while it is able to arrest the proliferation of pathogens as soon as detected. This chapter aims to review the regulatory mechanisms involved in the control of the effectors mechanisms of the innate immunity during experimental T. cruzi infection and Chagas disease. It provides a comprehensive revision of the immunologic mechanisms triggered by the interaction of the parasite and the host cells during acute phase of the infection, as well as the possible implications for the design of therapeutic or diagnostic approaches.