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The Trypanosoma cruzi–host-cell interplay: location, invasion, retention

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 3, pages 819–823 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Chagas disease is a debilitating human illness caused by infection with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. A capacity to invade and replicate within many different cell types is a cornerstone of the remarkable fitness of this parasite. Although invasion occurs independently of actin polymerization, the host cell still participates in the process, often in unexpected ways. Recent surprising findings indicate that host-cell lysosomes are indispensable, either by directly mediating invasion or by retaining these highly motile parasites inside cells.

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Figure 1: Trypanosoma cruzi life cycle.
Figure 2: Model of Trypanosoma cruzi invasion of non-professional phagocytic cells.

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Acknowledgements

Work in the Andrews laboratory was supported by National Institutes of Health grants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, CEP 31270–910, MG, Brazil

    Luciana O. Andrade

  2. Section of Microbial Pathogenesis, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 295 Congress Avenue, New Haven, 06510, Connecticut, USA

    Norma W. Andrews

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Correspondence to Norma W. Andrews.

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Andrade, L., Andrews, N. The Trypanosoma cruzi–host-cell interplay: location, invasion, retention. Nat Rev Microbiol 3, 819–823 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1249

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