TY - JOUR
T1 - Immune responses to third stage larvae of Onchocerca volvulus in interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 knockout mice
AU - Johnson, Eugene H.
AU - Schynder-Candrian, Sylvia
AU - Rajan, Thiruchandurai V.
AU - Nelson, F. Kenneth
AU - Lustigman, Sara
AU - Abraham, David
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - To shed clarity on the dichotomy of reported results relative to the significance of T helper-1 vs T helper-2 immune responses in onchocerciasis, we compared the survivability of Onchocerca volvulus third-stage larvae (L3) in immunized mice that had either a targeted disruption of the Interleukin-4 or Interferon-gamma gene. Treatment groups consisted of control mice and mice immunized with irradiated O. volvulus L3. All mice were challenged with diffusion chambers containing viable L3. Vaccinated IL-4(-/-) were unable to kill this larval target. In contrast, vaccinated IFN-γ(-/-) and C57BL/6 mice, exhibited high levels of killing, had elevated levels of IL-4 and significantly greater numbers of eosinophils in their diffusion chambers than the IL-4(-/-). Whereas, levels of IFN-γ in all three groups of immunized mice were equivalent to those of control mice, levels of IL-5 were elevated, even in the IL-4(-/-), indicating that cytokines other than IL-4 were involved in its production. The protective immune response to third-stage larvae of O. volvulus in mice vaccinated with irradiated larvae has an absolute IL-4 requirement.
AB - To shed clarity on the dichotomy of reported results relative to the significance of T helper-1 vs T helper-2 immune responses in onchocerciasis, we compared the survivability of Onchocerca volvulus third-stage larvae (L3) in immunized mice that had either a targeted disruption of the Interleukin-4 or Interferon-gamma gene. Treatment groups consisted of control mice and mice immunized with irradiated O. volvulus L3. All mice were challenged with diffusion chambers containing viable L3. Vaccinated IL-4(-/-) were unable to kill this larval target. In contrast, vaccinated IFN-γ(-/-) and C57BL/6 mice, exhibited high levels of killing, had elevated levels of IL-4 and significantly greater numbers of eosinophils in their diffusion chambers than the IL-4(-/-). Whereas, levels of IFN-γ in all three groups of immunized mice were equivalent to those of control mice, levels of IL-5 were elevated, even in the IL-4(-/-), indicating that cytokines other than IL-4 were involved in its production. The protective immune response to third-stage larvae of O. volvulus in mice vaccinated with irradiated larvae has an absolute IL-4 requirement.
KW - Immunity
KW - Infective larvae
KW - Interferon-gamma knockouts
KW - Interleukin-4 knockouts
KW - O. volvulus
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031869226&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0031869226&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1365-3024.1998.00148.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1365-3024.1998.00148.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 9717193
AN - SCOPUS:0031869226
SN - 0141-9838
VL - 20
SP - 319
EP - 324
JO - Parasite Immunology
JF - Parasite Immunology
IS - 7
ER -