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PATHOLOGIC CHANGES IN LUNGS CAUSED BY MEXICAN ISOLATES OF TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI IN THE ACUTE PHASE OF INFECTION IN MICE

Chagas’ disease, which is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a significant public health problem in the Americas. Its clinical presentation varies significantly in different geographic regions. Using experimental infection in mice, we studied the pathologic changes in lungs in the acute phase of the disease caused by three Mexican isolates of T. cruzi. Clusters of parasites and inflammatory reactions were found in the walls of conducting airways and pulmonary vessels. Inflammation was more intense in the small vessels. Although the parasites were not found in the alveolar walls, severe pathologic changes in these structure were observed and included alveolar wall thickening and inflammatory infiltration. Furthermore, serous liquid, fibrin fibers, hyaline membranes, and erythrocytes were found in the alveolar spaces. The pathomorphologic changes observed in the infected mice are consistent with pneumonitis.

Received August 27, 2004. Accepted for publication April 20, 2005.

Acknowledgments: We thank Dr. Mario Barrera (Instituto Hideo Noguchi, Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico) for providing the CH4 isolate of T. cruzi, Daniel Espinosa Gamboa and Luis C. Hernandes (Carl Zeiss) for technical support in digital imaging, and Victor Montaño Plascencia for technical support in processing of tissues samples.

Financial support: This study was supported by CONACyT grant 2002-CO41819 and Ramon Alvarez- Buylla Foundation (University of Colima).

^* Address correspondence to Dr. Oxana R. Dobrovinskaya, Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Colima, Av. 25 de Julio s/n Col. Villa San Sebastián, Colima, Col. Mexico, CP 28045. E-mail: oxana{at}cgic.ucol.mx

Authors’ addresses: Valery G. Melnikov, Francisco Espinoza Gómez, and Fernando Guzmán Rodríguez, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Colima, Av. Universidad 333, Col. Las Víboras, Colima, Col. Mexico, CP 28040. Telephone/fax: 52-312-316-1099, E-mails: melnik{at}cgic.ucol.mx, fespin{at}cgic.ucol.mx, and gozman21{at}hotmail.com. Francisco Fierro Velasco, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Gudalajara, Av. Ángel Liaño 500, Zapopan, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, CP 45110, Telephone/fax: 52-333-813-1571, E-mail: fierro{at}ucol.mx. Oxana R. Dobrovinskaya, Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Colima, Av. 25 de Julio s/n Col. Villa San Sebastián, Colima, Col. Mexico, CP 28045, Telephone/fax: 52-312-3161 129, E-mail: oxana{at}cgic.ucol.mx.

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