NK Cells Contribute to the Control ofTrypanosoma cruziInfection by Killing Free Parasites by Perforin-Independent Mechanisms

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Abstract
The protozoan parasiteTrypanosoma cruzicirculates in the blood as trypomastigotes and invades a variety of cells to multiply intracellularly as amastigotes. The acute phase leads to an immune response that restricts the proliferation of the parasite. However, parasites are able to persist in different tissues, which causes the pathology of Chagas' disease. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in innate resistance to a variety of pathogens. In the present study we analyzed whether NK cells participated in the control of experimentalT. cruziinfection. NK cells were depleted from C57BL/6 mice by antiasialo antibodies. This treatment caused an increased parasitemia during the acute phase, but tissue parasite burdens were not significantly altered according to quantitative real-time PCR. Our results demonstrated that NK cells were activated during the initial phase of aT. cruziinfection and exhibited a contact-dependent antiparasitic activity against extracellular parasites that was independent from perforin. Thus, NK cells limit the propagation of the parasite by acting on circulatingT. cruzitrypomastigotes.