AUTHOR=Useche Yerly , Pérez Ana Rosa , de Meis Juliana , Bonomo Adriana , Savino Wilson 

TITLE=Central nervous system commitment in Chagas disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.975106

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.975106

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) during human acute and chronic Chagas disease (CD) has been largely reported. Meningoencephalitis is a frequent finding during the acute infection, while during chronic phase the CNS involvement is often accompanied by behavioral and cognitive impairments. In the same vein, several studies have shown that rodents infected with <italic>Trypanosoma cruzi</italic> (<italic>T. cruzi</italic>) display behavior abnormalities, accompanied by brain inflammation, <italic>in situ</italic> production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and parasitism in diverse cerebral areas, with involvement of microglia, macrophages, astrocytes, and neurons. However, the mechanisms used by the parasite to reach the brain remain now largely unknown. Herein we discuss the evidence unravelling the CNS involvement and complexity of neuroimmune interactions that take place in acute and chronic CD. Also, we provide some clues to hypothesize brain infections routes in human and experimental acute CD following oral infection by <italic>T. cruzi</italic>, an infection route that became a major CD related public health issue in Brazil.</p>