Delayed Activation of T Cells at the Site of Infection Facilitates the Establishment of Trypanosoma cruzi in Both Naive and Immune Hosts

Abstract

Trypanosoma cruzi , the parasite causing Chagas disease, usually infects through the mucosa or breaks in the skin, but little is known about the parasite's fate at the site of entry or the early events involving immune control there. Here, we track the local proliferation and subsequent dissemination of fluorescently tagged T. cruzi and the initial immune response at the point of entry.