Experimental data on infection dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi Dm28c in BALB/c mice: parasitemia, splenic immune response, and cardiac histology

Introduction Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a major health problem in Latin America and an emerging concern worldwide. Experimental models are essential to study host–parasite interactions and disease progression. This dataset provides experimental data from BALB/c mice infected with T. cruzi strain Dm28c (DTU TcI), representing a low-virulence, non-lethal infection model. The study was designed to follow the course of infection over time, with analyses performed at 0, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 56 days post-infection (dpi). Abbreviations dpi – days post-infection DTU – Discrete Typing Unit RT-qPCR – Reverse Transcription followed by Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction IFN-γ – Interferon gamma IL-10 – Interleukin-10 / human cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor IL-1β – Interleukin-1 beta TGF-β – Transforming growth factor beta TNF-α – Tumor necrosis factor alpha Dataset content and organization The dataset is organized into three main folders according to the organ analyzed. Each folder contains subfolders corresponding to specific sample types. 1. Blood_parasitemia Content: Parasitemia – counts of T. cruzi trypomastigotes in blood presented in a tab-delimited table obtained by direct microscopic examination of fresh blood at multiple time points (0, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 56 dpi). Parasitemia_Dm28c_BALBc 2. Heart_tissue Content: Histological images were acquired at multiple time points (7, 10, 14, 21, and 56 dpi), including uninfected controls. Inflammatory_infiltrates_Dm28c_BALBc – Histological images of cardiac tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin to visualize inflammatory infiltrates. Amastigote_nest_Dm28c_BALBc – Hematoxylin and eosin-stained images showing amastigote nests in cardiac tissue. Cardiac_fibrosis_Dm28c_BALBc – Histological images of cardiac tissue stained with Picrosirius Red/Fast Green to assess fibrosis. 3. Spleen Content: Spleen weight measurements and cytokine expression data. Spleen_Weight_Dm28c_BALBc – Spleen weight measurements presented in a tab-delimited table. RTqPCR_Spleen_Cytokine_data_Dm28c_BALBc – Cytokine expression data by RT-qPCR, including two tables: raw Ct values and ∆∆Ct processed data, relative to RPLP0, at all time points (7, 10, 14, 21, and 56 dpi), including uninfected controls. Genes analyzed: IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β. Methodology The experimental procedures used to generate this dataset, including mouse infection, sample collection, parasitemia counts, histological analyses, and RT-qPCR, are detailed in the README_Dm28c_BALBc.txt file included in the repository. Quality control All experiments included 3–6 biological replicates per experimental group (7, 10, 14, 21 and 56 dpi), including uninfected controls, which served as reference for all comparisons. Parasitemia counts were obtained by direct microscopic examination of multiple fields per sample to minimize observer bias. For RT-qPCR, RNA integrity was verified prior to cDNA synthesis, and samples were treated with DNase to remove genomic DNA contamination. Negative controls (no template and no reverse transcriptase) were included in all runs, and Ct values were checked for consistency among replicates. Histological analyses were performed on multiple tissue sections per animal, with blinded evaluation of inflammatory infiltrates, amastigote nests, and fibrosis. Standardized staining protocols and calibrated microscopy were applied for all imaging. Value of the data This dataset provides raw data from a low-virulence murine model of T. cruzi infection (Dm28c strain in BALB/c mice), enabling the study of the course of infection from 0 to 56 dpi. It is useful for investigating host–parasite interactions, immune responses, and cardiac pathology under mild, non-lethal infection conditions in this particular murine model. Data include parasitemia counts, histological images, and cytokine expression by RT-qPCR, with uninfected control mice serving as a reference for all comparisons. This model allows comparative analyses with more virulent strains or different mouse backgrounds and provides a platform for evaluating diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive strategies under low-virulence conditions. Additionally, it serves as a baseline for comparison with studies using transfected Dm28c strains available in our laboratory to investigate potential therapeutic targets.