Trypanosoma cruzi infection in diabetic mice

Abstract

Triatoma infestans were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (zymodeme 1) at the first feed after eclosion from the egg; interstadial development times and mortality rates were then recorded until the imaginal moult and compared with those of uninfected controls. No retardation of development occurred in infected bugs and their mean total mortality rate (9%) was only slightly higher than that (6%) of uninfected controls (due solely to 4 additional deaths). This is the first demonstration, under optimal and standardized rearing conditions, that infection of T. infestans with T. cruzi has little or no effect on development times or mortality rates.

The Adipocyte as an Important Target Cell for Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

“…One study demonstrated a significant reduction in insulin among chronically infected individuals (8). Interestingly, our previous studies indicated that when mice with chemically induced diabetes are infected with T. cruzi, they have a higher parasitemia and mortality (9). The same observation is seen when diabetic db/db mice are infected (9,10).…”

“…Male CD1 mice (Jackson Laboratories) were infected at 8 -10 weeks of age with 5 ϫ 10 4 trypomastigotes, and the various experiments were performed on the indicated days post-infection. Parasitemia was evaluated by counting in a hemocytometer as described previously (9).…”

Adipocyte, Adipose Tissue, and Infectious Disease

“…One such study demonstrated a significant reduction in insulin among chronically infected individuals (44). Interestingly, previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that when mice with chemical-induced diabetes or diabetic db/db mice were infected with T. cruzi, they had a higher parasitemia and mortality (123). The underlying mechanisms of these observations remain unknown.…”

Development of high numbers of blood trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi in nude rats

“…In mutant diabetic Fig. 1 Time course of parasitemia after infection of athymic nude rats with 10, 10 3 , 10 5 , or 10 7 trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi strain``Chile 5'' (open symbols represent the individual data, black symbols the mean values, connected by the lines) mice the mean peak parasitemia of 6´10 6 parasites/ml was 6-fold higher than in non-diabetic littermates (Tanowitz et al 1988). In immune-de®cient mice, the maximum number of parasites counted before death of the mice ranged from 10 4 to 2´10 7 /ml (e.g., Cardillo et al 1996;Tarleton et al 1996;HoÈ lscher et al 1998).…”