Abstract

Males and females from A.Sn, HTG, HTI and A.Sw strains of mouse were intraperitoneally infected with 2000 trypomastigotes from Tulahuen strain of Trypanosma cruzi. All mice from A.Sn and HTG strains were equally susceptible (100% mortality) to the parasite infection, while males and females from A.Sw and HTI mouse strains were resistent (100% survival). However males from A.Sw, HTG and HTI strains showed significantly higher level of parasitemia than the corresponding females. The possible effect of parasitemia on tissue pathology and mice mortality was evaluated by comparing the histopathology of miocardial and skeleton muscle in the susceptible and resistant strains of mice. In the first ten days post infection no significant differences in tissue damage were observed between susceptible and resistent strain of mice. However in the third week of infection while A.Sw and HTI mice showed recovery of tissue lessions, the susceptible A.Sn and HTG showed increased tissue damage although no blood forms and no intracellular parasites were detected