Infection by the Sylvio X10/4 clone of Trypanosoma cruzi: relevance of a low-virulence model of Chagas' disease

The physiopathology of Chagas' disease has been largely defined in murine infections with virulent strains which partially represent parasite diversity. This report reviews our studies with Sylvio X10/4 parasites, a Trypanosoma cruzi clone that induces no acute phase but in C3H/He mice leads to chronic myocarditis resembling the human disease.