<i>T. cruzi</i> infection induces MBL expression <i>in vivo</i>.

<p>WT and MyD88^−/− mice were infected with trypomastigotes of the Y strain of <i>T. cruzi</i> and 9 days after infection, MBL-A and MBL-C mRNA accumulation was determined in spleens from infected and uninfected animals by real-time PCR (A). Detection of MBL-C protein was also performed by immunofluorescence microscopy in splenic sections obtained from WT mice infected as above (B). Micrograph shows MBL-C (red) and B220 (blue) staining in both the red (RP) and white pulp (WP). Scale bar, 100 µm. Infected MBL^−/− spleens were included as a control. All panels shown are representative of 2 independent experiments using 3 to 4 mice per group. Bars indicate the standard error of the mean (SEM). Sera from patients with acute, chronic or indeterminate Chagas’ disease were assayed for MBL as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0047835#s4" target="_blank">Material and Methods</a> (C). *, Indicates statistically significant differences between acute vs indeterminate Chagas’ disease groups.</p

Enhanced cardiac pathology and fibrosis in MBL^−/− infected with <i>T.</i><i>cruzi</i> Colombiana strain.

<p>WT and MBL^−/− mice were infected with trypomastigotes of the Colombiana strain of <i>T. cruzi</i> and hearts from these animals obtained 5 weeks after infection. Hearts were formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded, stained with H&E or Gomori’s trichrome and scored for pathology and fibrosis, respectively, as described under <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0047835#s4" target="_blank">Materials and Methods</a> (A). Right panels show micrographs of Gomori’s trichrome staining for each group. Bars indicate the standard error of the mean (SEM). Uninfected, or WT and MBL^−/− mice infected as in (A) were harvested 5 wks later for determination of hydroxyproline content in total heart (B). Each symbol corresponds to an individual animal, dashed lines represent the mean of each group and solid lines the standard error of the mean (SEM). Heart samples from uninfected controls or from WT and MBL^−/− mice infected as in (A) were obtained and mRNA accumulation of Collagen-1, -3 and -6 determined by real-time PCR (C). The experiments shown are representative of two performed. *, Indicates statistically significant differences between infected WT and MBL^−/− groups.</p