Long-term study of cell-mediated responses to Borrelia burgdorferi in the laboratory mouse.
Borrelia burgdorferi infection of disease-susceptible (C3H) and -resistant (BALB) mice resulted in impaired proliferation to both T- and B-cell mitogens up to 30 days after inoculation. Interleukin-2 and -4 production was also impaired, paralleling the T-cell response to concanavalin A. Impaired lymphocyte proliferation could not be attributed to diminished numbers of T or B cells and was found to depend on the lymphoid organ (spleen or lymph node) examined. Prostaglandin production accounted for part of this immune dysfunction. Attempts to assess antigen-specific proliferation to B. burgdorferi were inconsistent, and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses were not detected. Adoptive transfer of T-enriched cells from chronically infected donors failed to prevent infection and disease development in recipient C3H mice. The current study emphasizes caution in the study of B. burgdorferi antigen-specific assays and argues against the role of a vigorous T-cell response in Lyme borreliosis in infected laboratory mice.
de Souza
M S
MS
Section of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
Smith
A L
AL
Beck
D S
DS
Terwilliger
G A
GA
Fikrig
E
E
Barthold
S W
SW
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology*; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007213:Indomethacin