CD14+CD16+ pro-inflammatory monocytes are expanded in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from chronic Chagas disease patients.

PÉREZ MAZLIAH D; ALBAREDA MC; VIOTTI R; TARLETON RL; LAUCELLA SA

Viña del Mar, Chile

Congreso; 9th Latin American Congress of Immunology; 2009

Chagas disease, caused by the infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is characterized by cardiac or digestive abnormalities, which develop in 20–30% of infected individuals years after infection occurred. Pro-inflammatory CD14+CD16+ monocytes subset is expanded in several human infectious diseases associated with disease severity and antigen load. This study aims to evaluate the frequency of CD14+CD16+ and CD14highCD16- (classic) monocytes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of chronic Chagas disease patients. PBMCs were evaluated for surface markers and intracellular cytokine production using flow cytometry. The frequency of CD14+CD16+ pro-inflammatory monocytes was higher in chronic Chagas disease patients (n=19, mean frequency ± SD = 12.6±4.6%) compared with uninfected subjects (n=7, 5.7±1.3%; P