Interactive Multimedia to Teach the Life Cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi, the Causative Agent of Chagas Disease
Figure 9
Schematic 3D view of the phases of interaction of the epimastigote form of T. cruzi with vertebrate cells (macrophage).
(A) Attachment of epimastigotes to the macrophage surface. (B) This attachment triggers the internalization process via phagocytosis with the formation of pseudopods (C) and is followed by the formation of a parasitophorous vacuole. (D–G) Host cell lysosomes migrate toward and fuse with the parasitophorous vacuole, releasing their contents into the vacuole and subsequently digesting the intravacuolar epimastigotes (H). These images were made based on micrographs of transmission electron microscopy and video microscopy.