Surface Determinants in American Trypanosomes

Trypanosoma cruzi is a digenetic protozoan which, among the stercorarian species of the genus Trypanosoma, is the only one to produce a clear and well-established pathogenic effect. Contrary to the behavior of the salivarian species and many representatives of the Stercoraria group, whose metatrypanosomes divide in the host blood, T. cruzi trypomastigotes must penetrate host cells in order to complete the biological cycle on the vertebrate side of the epidemiological chain. Although several tissues can be affected in vivo, considerable preferences have been reported for the different strains of the parasite. Thus, the Y strain, used in our studies, has been described as preferentially macrophagotropic, while the CL strain is reported to be preferentially myotropic (for key references see Hoare 1972; Brener 1973; Colli 1979; Brener 1980).