Mechanisms underlying immunosuppression induced by Trypanosoma cruzi.

Trypansoma cruzi affects immune responsiveness in mammalian hosts. Studies with patients and infected animals have defined some of the immunological dysfunctions but not the underlying mechanisms. Recent work using an in vitro model system of T. cruzi-human lymphocyte interactions has made it possible to uncover specific alterations in human lymphocyte activation induced by this parasite. Felipe Kierzenbaum and Marcelo Sztein discuss recent advances in our understanding of the processes that lead to impaired human lymphocyte function and that might be involved in the immunosuppression seen in the acute phase of Chagas disease.