Modulation of host cell metabolism by Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract Chagos disease, caused by the hemoflagellate Trypanosoma cruzi , is a complicated and devastating disease. It is hypothesized that an important target of infection may be the endothelial cell and that both the acute and chronic forms of the disease involve abnormalities in the microcirculotion. Stephen Morris and colleagues suggest that endothelial cell dysfunction occurs as a consequence of amastigote-associated interference in host cell metabolism.