title: Depression of antigen-specific interleukin-5 and interferon-gamma responses in human lymphatic filariasis as a function of clinical status and age.
abstract: In an area in which brugian filariasis is endemic, when cytokine levels were analyzed as a function of clinical status comparing those who were asymptomatic and amicrofilaremic with those who were microfilaremic, it was found that both interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-5 were suppressed in microfilariae carriers (P < .01 and P < .001, respectively), but IL-4 was unabated. Age had a significant effect on cytokine production in both groups. In asymptomatic amicrofilaremic subjects, IL-4 production was high in young persons and decreased with age, whereas in microfilaremic subjects, IL-4 increased significantly with age. Conversely, IFN-gamma showed a tendency to increase with age in asymptomatic amicrofilaremic subjects but not in microfilaremic subjects. IL-5 decreased significantly with increasing age in both asymptomatic amicrofilaremic and microfilaremic groups. These results indicate that the length of exposure to and infection with filarial parasites can each exert a substantial effect on the cytokine response profiles of host T cell populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University, Netherlands.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sartono
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kruize
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurniawan
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Maizels
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazdanbakhsh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D017178:Brugia malayi; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D007214:Indonesia; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma