Effects of sand fly vector saliva on development of cutaneous lesions and the immune response to Leishmania braziliensis in BALB/c mice.
The saliva of the sand fly vector of leishmaniasis significantly enhanced infection with doses of >10(4) Leishmania braziliensis parasites in BALB/c mice. With a dose of 10(7) L. braziliensis parasites, 60 to 70% of the mice developed lifetime infections. Mice infected with L. braziliensis plus saliva produced two- to threefold more interleukin-4 than did mice infected with L. braziliensis alone. Treatment with a neutralizing anti-interleukin-4 antibody abrogated the effects of the saliva.
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Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523-1671, USA.
Titus
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D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000276:immunology*
D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides; D015847:Interleukin-4