Induced cytokine network during experimental African trypanosomiasis

Karina Pires de Sousa, Jorge M Atouguia, Marcelo Sousa Silva
Unidade de Ensino e Investigação de Clínica Tropical, Centro de Malária e Outras Doenças Tropicais (CMDT), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract: African trypanosomiasis (AT) is caused by extracellular hemoflagellates of the genus Trypanosoma and develops into a fatal disease for man and animals. The immune response and pathogenesis associated with the illness are complex and still poorly understood. However, they seem to be characterized by extensive changes in lymphoid tissues of the infected host, involving a complex network of interactions between cells and their products, which are controlled by specific parasite molecules. Various studies suggest that cytokine responses influence the outcome of AT; however, the precise role of individual cytokines remains unclear and may depend on the animal model and the parasite strain. This review focuses on how the parasite manipulates the immunoregulatory mechanisms in the generation of host cytokine response and their relationship with macrophages activation in the experimental model of the African sleeping sickness.

Keywords: Trypanosoma brucei, sleeping sickness, T helper cells