IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF SKIN BI- OPSIES OF CHAGAS DISEASE PATIENTS WITH DERMA- TITIS CAUSED BY BENZNIDAZOLE

CASTRO-EIRO M; ALVAREZ M. GABRIELA; VIOTTI R; FERNANDEZ M; BERTOCCHI GL; LOCOCO BE; ALBAREDA M C; MAZZUOCCOLO; SEIGELFISCHER D; LAUCELLA S; CARLOS A. VIGLIANO

Buenos Aires

Congreso; XXIX Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología (SAP); 2017

Benznidazole is one of the two drugs available for treat- ment of Chagas disease with a suspension rate of approximately 17- 30% in chronically T. cruzi-infected adult patients primarily due to the appearance of dermatitis. We have previously shown that some of these patients have IFN-γ producing T cells reactive to benznidazo- le. The aim of this study was to analyze the phenotype and function of cells present in skin lesions of patients treated with benznidazole who presented dermatitis. Four skin biopsies were preserved in for- maldehyde 10 %. Tissue samples were then dehydrated, cleared, embedded in paraffin, cut into 4?5 μm thick sections and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin. Immunohistochemistry was perfor- med using specific antibodies for human CD4, CD8, perforin, IL5 and IFN-γ molecules. All of the biopsies analyzed presented inflam- matory infiltrate with eosinophilia. CD8 T lymphocytes but not CD4 were found with this technique. Secretion of perforin was observed in all cases whereas IL-5+ and IFN-γ+ cells were not found. These findings strengthen the evidence supporting that adverse reactions to benznidazole are cell mediated with the involvement of CD8+ T cells.