Spread of Trypanosoma brucei to the nervous system: Early attack on circumventricular organs and sensory ganglia

M Schultzberg, M Ambatsis… - Journal of …, 1988 - Wiley Online Library
M Schultzberg, M Ambatsis, EB Samuelsson, K Kristensson, N Van Meirvenne
Journal of neuroscience research, 1988Wiley Online Library
The distribution of Trypanosoma brucei brucei in the nervous system of experimentally
infected Sprague‐Dawley rats and BALB/c and deer mice was examined with
immunohistochemical techniques. The trypanosomes showed an early invasion in areas
lacking a so‐called blood‐brain or blood‐nerve barrier, ie, in sensory ganglia and
circumventricular organs including the area postrema, pineal gland, and median eminence.
This distribution of trypanosomes may relate to the origin of cardinal symptoms of the …
Abstract
The distribution of Trypanosoma brucei brucei in the nervous system of experimentally infected Sprague‐Dawley rats and BALB/c and deer mice was examined with immunohistochemical techniques. The trypanosomes showed an early invasion in areas lacking a so‐called blood‐brain or blood‐nerve barrier, i.e., in sensory ganglia and circumventricular organs including the area postrema, pineal gland, and median eminence. This distribution of trypanosomes may relate to the origin of cardinal symptoms of the disease, e.g., sensory disturbances, nausea, disturbed circadian rhythm, and neuroendocrinological dysfunctions. Trypanosome infections in rodents may provide a model for studies of how an infectious agent or factors released by the immune response may relatively selectively interfere with these functionally defined regions of the nervous system.
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