title: Infiltration of CD4+ T cells into cornea during development of Onchocerca volvulus-induced experimental sclerosing keratitis in mice.
abstract: Sclerosing keratitis is the major cause of blindness due to onchocerciasis caused by the parasite Onchocerca volvulus. Although the importance of T cells in the pathogenesis of onchocerciasis has been suggested, their precise role in onchocercal sclerosing keratitis has not yet been defined. Using immunohistological techniques and a murine model of onchocercal sclerosing keratitis, we have performed a temporal analysis of the inflammatory T cells infiltrating into the cornea at Days 4, 7, and 21 following intrastromal challenge with soluble O. volvulus antigens into presensitized mice. The maximum number of CD3+ T cells were observed in the corneal stroma at Day 21 when sclerosing keratitis was most severe. The majority (> 85%) of the CD3+ T cells were CD4+ at all time points. A few infiltrating cells bore IL-2 receptors indicating possible activation of a small fraction of the T cells. These results suggest that CD4+ T cells play an important role in onchocercal sclerosing keratitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chakravarti
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Herring
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lass
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bucy
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Diaconu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Whitfield
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Chakravarti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology; D003315:Cornea / Q000276:immunology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007634:Keratitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D017181:Onchocerca volvulus / Q000276:immunology*; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000276:immunology; D012598:Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology