Destruction of intracellular Trypanosoma cruzi after treatment of infected macrophages with cationic electron carriers.

Intracellular forms of Trypanosoma cruzi were destroyed in infected mouse macrophage cultures treated for 24 h with micromolar concentrations of phenazine methosulfate, brilliant cresyl blue, or crystal violet. Parasites were not killed in macrophages which were only treated with the dyes before infection, indicating that the drugs did not induce a protracted state of macrophage trypanocidal activity.