Polyclonal lymphocyte responses to murine Trypanosoma cruzi infection. I. Quantitation of both T- and B-cell responses.

Lymphoid activity was studied in spleen and lymph node cells from Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice. Blast transformation in each lymphocyte class was assessed by dual parameter analysis for size and surface markers by both FACS and conventional immunofluorescence, while proliferative activity was measured by tritiated thymidine uptake, autoradiography, and analysis of DNA content in single cells. Acute infection results in rapid blast transformation and proliferative activity of all three lymphocyte classes (Ig+, L3T4+, and Lyt 2+). At 2 weeks of infection most cells in these organs are enlarged and more than half are dividing. By 2 and 6 months after infection (chronic phase of resistant strains), large numbers of activated B lymphocytes and, to a lesser extent, of Lyt 2+ T cells are still detected. Similar results were obtained in C57BL/6 (resistant) and C3H/HeJ (susceptible) mouse strains. The implications of this massive polyclonal lymphocyte response to the parasite for the physiopathology of acute and chronic infection are discussed.