title: Protective effect of low doses of an anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody in a murine model of acute toxoplasmosis.
abstract: Treatment with an anti-IL-4 monoclonal antibody protected susceptible C57BL/6 mice against challenge with an avirulent strain of T. gondii. Antibody therapy with 100 micrograms on days 0 and 7 post infection resulted in 100% survival of C57/BL6 mice infected orally. Survival was dose-dependent. Treatment prolonged parasitaemia but did not alter tissue parasite load. Increased serum IgG2a and IFN-gamma levels, together with low levels of IgG1, in mice treated with anti-IL-4 or an isotype control, indicated a trend towards a predominant Th1 response in all survivors. The persistence of an IgE response after treatment suggests that endogenous IL-4 was only partly neutralized or that other factors can induce the production of IgE in murine toxoplasmosis.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Parasitologie et de Médecine Tropicale, Faculté de Médecine, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Villard
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Candolfi
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Despringre
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Derouin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marcellin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Viville
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kien
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000276:immunology; D015996:Survival Rate; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma