Experimental American trypanomiasis in rats: sympathetic denervation, parasitism and inflammatory process.

Tissue parasitism, inflammatory process (histologic methods) and sympathetic denervation (glyoxylic acid-induced histofluorescence for demonstration of catecholamines) were studied in the heart (atrium and ventricle) and the submandibular gland of rats infected with the Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. In the heart paralleling intense parasitism and inflammatory process, the sympathetic denervation started at day-6 of infection and at the end of the acute phase (day 20) practically no varicose nerve terminals were found in both myocardium and vessels. In the submandibular gland, in spite of the rarity of amastigote pseudocysts and the scarcity of inflammatory foci, slight to moderate (days 13-15 of infection) or moderate to severe denervation (day 20) was found. At day 120 of infection both organs exhibited normal pattern of sympathetic innervation and only the heart showed some inflammatory foci and rare pseudocysts (ventricle). Our data suggest the involvement of circulating factors in the sympathetic denervation phenomena but indicate that local inflammatory process is, at least, an aggravating factor.