HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Davila, H. O. Articles by Bottasso, O. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Davila, H. O. Articles by Bottasso, O. A. Pubmed/NCBI databases Substance via MeSH Medline Plus Health Information Chagas Disease High Risk Pregnancy

Protection of Young Rats from Acute Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection by Interferon-Gamma Given to their Mothers during Pregnancy

We investigated whether administration of interferon-gamma (IFN-) to pregnant rats, infected or not with Trypanosoma cruzi, was likely to protect their offspring from trypanosomal infection. Upon mating with syngeneic sires, four groups of 70-day-old female 1 rats were subjected to one of the following procedures: treatment with recombinant rat (Rr)IFN- 50,000 IU/rat five times/week for three weeks; infection with 1 x 10⁶ trypomastigotes of T. cruzi at 7, 14, and 21 days after mating plus IFN- treatment as given to the former group; the same protocol but IFN- injections being replaced by injection with physiologic saline. Offspring were nursed by their mothers until weaning and then infected with a similar dose of T. cruzi. Pregnant rats showed no exacerbated infection but a self-resolving mild disease, regardless of whether or not they had received IFN-. Maternal infection with T. cruzi and/or IFN- treatment did not affect gestational outcome. Offspring born to both groups of IFN--treated mothers were almost fully protected from acute infection, and showed higher levels of anti-T. cruzi IgG antibodies when compared with young born to their respective IFN--untreated mothers. Measurements of IFN- serum activities indicated that ameliorated acute disease in offspring whose mothers were given IFN- during gestation, was not associated with increased levels of endogenously produced IFN-.