MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSION DURING TRYPANOSOMA INFECTIONS

Acute infection with Trypanosoma cruzi or its African relatives, inclu ding T. brucei rhodesiense, T. b. gambiense, T. b. brucei and T. congo lense, is frequently accompanied by manifestations of immunological dy sfunction. Initially investigators catalogued the ensuing immunologic alterations and identified a number of modifications in lymphoid or ac cessory cell properties. More recently, the emphasis has switched towa rds the molecular underpinnings of immunosuppression in these infectio ns. In this article, Marcelo Sztein and Felipe Kierszenbaum focus on r ecent progress made in the quest to delineate the mechanisms behind al tered lymphocyte functions in trypanosomal infections, point out parti cular and common features of immunosuppression induced by T. cruzi and African trypanosomes, and outline possible directions for future rese arch.