IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF TISSUE PARASITISM OF DOG ADRENAL-GLANDS IN EXPERIMENTAL CHAGAS-DISEASE

In human beings, the central vein of the adrenal glands has been consi dered by some authors to be one of the preferential sites of Trypanoso ma cruzi settling in the chronic form of Chagas' disease. This appears to be due to the local corticoid-rich environment that may protect th e parasite against the immunological defences of the host. An immunocy tochemical study of the adrenal glands of 15 dogs was carried out for the detection of tissue parasitism in the acute and chronic phases of experimental T. cruzi infection. No amastigote nests or isolated amast igotes were detected in the adrenal parenchyma or adrenal central Vein of the animals studied. Minimal nonspecific inflammatory changes were found in some glands of both infected and noninfected animals. The pr e sent results show that the adrenal glands of the dog ore not injured and do not constitute a site of escape or reservoir of parasites in e xperimental Chagas' disease.