Inhibition of muscle differentiation by trypanosoma cruzi

L6E9 rat myoblasts were infected in tissue culture with the myotropic Brazil strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. The effect of parasite infection on the ability of myoblasts to differentiate into myotubes was studied. Both morphological and biochemical differentiation were found to be profoundly affected by parasitic infection in a dose-related fashion. Evidence is presented to suggest that infected myoblasts can no longer differentiate. Differentiation, once underway, seemed unaffected by the parasitic infection; biochemical markers of differentiation remained intact.