[Evaluation of interleukin-2 soluble receptor in patients with trypanosomiasis americana in Panama]

The quantitative determination of Interleukin-2 Receptor (sIL-2R) in the serum of patients with acute or chronic Chagas disease is compared with values found in normal individuals. The mean value of soluble IL-2R in patients with acute Chagas' disease was found to be 3,282 +/- 171 U/ml. The mean value of sIL-2R in serum samples from chronic chagasic patients was 511 +/- 207 U/ml, while in the control or "normal" group of persons the mean value for sIL-2R was 366 +/- 108 u/ml. In patients with early or acute infections with T. cruzi, the serum levels of sIL-2R was usually above 1000 u/ml. However, the correlation with anti-T. cruzi antibodies and levels of sIL-2R was not always directly proportional. Specific antibodies anti-T. cruzi in serum from chronic chagasic patients, shown at low or high levels, did not reveal a proportional correlation with serum levels of sIL-2R which tend to be significantly lower than in early or acute infections. It is considered that high values for sIL-2R are related with the parasite activity and its pathologic interaction with the host. It is possible that high levels of sIL-2R could serve as an indicator of early or acute Chagas' disease and be useful in assessment of disease conditions and response to therapy.