Macedo Andréa M, Machado Carlos R, Oliveira Riva P, Pena Sérgio D J
Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30161-970, Brasil.
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2004 Feb;99(1):1-12. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02762004000100001. Epub 2004 Mar 31.
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, has a variable clinical course, ranging from symptomless infection to severe chronic disease with cardiovascular or gastrointestinal involvement or, occasionally, overwhelming acute episodes. The factors influencing this clinical variability have not been elucidated, but it is likely that the genetic variability of both the host and the parasite are of importance. In this work we review the the genetic structure of T. cruzi populations and analyze the importance of genetic variation of the parasite in the pathogenesis of the disease under the light of the histotropic-clonal model.
恰加斯病由原生动物克氏锥虫引起，其临床病程多变，从无症状感染到伴有心血管或胃肠道受累的严重慢性疾病，或偶尔出现的暴发性急性发作。影响这种临床变异性的因素尚未阐明，但宿主和寄生虫的基因变异性可能都很重要。在这项工作中，我们回顾了克氏锥虫种群的遗传结构，并根据组织嗜性-克隆模型分析了寄生虫基因变异在疾病发病机制中的重要性。
