Histopathological changes in the gastrointestinal tract and systemic alterations triggered by experimental oral infection with Trypanosoma cruzi

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in almost all countries of Latin America. In Brazil, oral infection is becoming the most important mechanism of transmission of the disease in several regions of the country. The gastrointestinal tract is the gateway for the parasite through this route of infection, however, little is known about the involvement of these organs related to oral route. In this sense, the present study evaluated the impact of oral infection on the digestive tract in mice infected by Berenice-78 (Be-78) T. cruzi strain, in comparison with the intraperitoneal route of infection. In this work, the intraperitoneal route group showed a peak of parasitemia similar to the oral route group, however the mortality rate among the orally infected animals was higher when compared to intraperitoneal route. By analyzing the frequency of blood cell populations, differences were mainly observed in CD4+ T lymphocytes, and not in CD8+, presenting an earlier reduction in the number of CD4+ T cells, which persisted for a longer period, in the animals of the oral group when compared with the intraperitoneal group. Animals infected by oral route presented a higher tissue parasitism and inflammatory infiltrate in stomach, duodenum and colon on the 28th day after infection. Therefore, these data suggest that oral infection has a different profile of parasitological and immune responses compared to intraperitoneal route, being the oral route more virulent and with greater tissue parasitism in organs of the gastrointestinal tract evaluated during the acute phase. [Display omitted] •The gastrointestinal tract is the gateway to parasite by the oral infection.•The mortality rate among the orally infected animals was higher.•CD8+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood presented the same profile between intraperitoneal and oral infection.•Animals infecetd by oral route presented a higher tissue parasitism and inflammatory infiltrate in stomach, duodenum and colon.•Oral infection has a different profile of parasitological and immune response compared to intraperitoneal route.