Chagas disease is an important chronic parasitic disease that affects around 9-11 million people in Latin America. A combination of parasite and host-related factors are probably responsible for pathogenesis in the chronic phase of the disease. Among the host-related factors, the immunological response is a parameter of special interest. Our aim here was to evaluate the plasma levels of the cytokines interferon gamma, interleukin 10 and tumor necrosis factor alpha and the immunoglobulins total IgG and its subclasses 3 and 4, by means of ELISA, and the levels of nitric oxide by means of the Griess reaction, among individuals who were seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi, presenting the cardiac, indeterminate and digestive clinical forms of the disease, and among seronegative individuals. The seropositive individuals produced significantly higher levels of total IgG and IgG-3. Individuals with the digestive form presented higher levels of IgG-4 and interleukin 10. However, these individuals presented lower levels of nitric oxide than the controls did. The results suggest that the higher levels of interleukin 10 observed among individuals with the digestive form may contribute towards the higher levels of the specific IgG-4 that were seen.
Chagas disease; Immunoglobulins; IFN-γ; IL-10; TNF-α; Nitric oxide
