title: Immunoregulation in onchocerciasis: persons with ocular inflammatory disease produce a Th2-like response to Onchocerca volvulus antigen.
abstract: To examine the role of specific cytokines in mediating the clinical manifestations of human onchocercal disease, microfilariae-positive Ghanaian subjects with inflammatory ocular disease were compared with microfilariae-positive subjects without ocular disease. Onchocerca volvulus antigen (OvAg)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from subjects with disease produced significantly more interleukin (IL)-10 (with disease = 447.34 vs. without disease = 292.22 pg/mL; P < .01) and IL-5 (with disease = 33.36 vs. without disease = 27.26 pg/mL; P = .02). OvAg-stimulated IL-4 and interferon (IFN)-gamma levels were essentially undetectable in either group. When cytokine mRNA levels were measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction ELISA, persons with disease produced significantly more OvAg-stimulated IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 mRNA (P = .03, < .01, .05, respectively). No difference in IFN-gamma mRNA production by either group was seen. Addition of neutralizing alpha IL-10 antibody to OvAg-stimulated PBMC increased TFN-gamma production to detectable levels in 20 of 24 persons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294-2170, USA.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Plier
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Awadzi
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Freedman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008875:Middle Aged; D017181:Onchocerca volvulus / Q000276:immunology*; D015827:Onchocerciasis, Ocular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger