AUTHOR=Morrot Alexandre , Villar Silvina R. , González Florencia B. , Pérez Ana R. 

TITLE=Evasion and Immuno-Endocrine Regulation in Parasite Infection: Two Sides of the Same Coin in Chagas Disease?

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00704

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.00704

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Chagas disease is a serious illness caused by the protozoan parasite <italic>Trypanosoma cruzi</italic>. Nearly 30% of chronically infected people develop cardiac, digestive, or mixed alterations, suggesting a broad range of host-parasite interactions that finally impact upon chronic disease outcome. The ability of <italic>T. cruzi</italic> to persist and cause pathology seems to depend on diverse factors like <italic>T. cruzi</italic> strains, the infective load and the route of infection, presence of virulence factors, the parasite capacity to avoid protective immune response, the strength and type of host defense mechanisms and the genetic background of the host. The host-parasite interaction is subject to a constant neuro-endocrine regulation that is thought to influence the adaptive immune system, and as the infection proceeds it can lead to a broad range of outcomes, ranging from pathogen elimination to its continued persistence in the host. In this context, <italic>T. cruzi</italic> evasion strategies and host defense mechanisms can be envisioned as two sides of the same coin, influencing parasite persistence and different outcomes observed in Chagas disease. Understanding how <italic>T. cruzi</italic> evade host's innate and adaptive immune response will provide important clues to better dissect mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of Chagas disease.</p>