Autoreactivity in chronic experimental Trypanosoma cruzy infection

ABSTRACT

The mechanisms by which Trypanosoma cruzi causes cardiomyopathy are discussed in this paper. The bulk of results suggests that autoimmunity is the main cause of the progressive cardiac destruction, and that autoreactivity is restricted to the CD4+ T-cell compartment. The various possibilities involved in the genesis of autoimmunity in chronic T. cruzi infection include molecular mimicry, antigen presentation and imbalance of immune regulation due to suppressor cell activities, idiotypic regulation and/or the influence of cytokines by the two mutually antagonistic type 1 and type 2 T-cell subsets.