Infiltration of CD4+ T cells into cornea during development of Onchocerca volvulus-induced experimental sclerosing keratitis in mice.
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.
Chakravarti
B
B
Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294.
Herring
T A
TA
Lass
J H
JH
Parker
J S
JS
Bucy
R P
RP
Diaconu
E
E
Tseng
J
J
Whitfield
D R
DR
Greene
B M
BM
Chakravarti
D N
DN
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