Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection is more severe in Th2 responding BALB/c mice compared to Th1 responding C3H/HeN mice.
The chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by a pronounced antibody response and microcolonies surrounded by numerous polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN). Poor prognosis is correlated with a high antibody response to P. aeruginosa antigens. An animal model of this infection was established in two strains of mice: C3H/HeN and BALB/c, generally known as Th1 and Th2 responders, respectively, which were challenged with alginate-embedded P. aeruginosa. Mortality was significantly lower in C3H/HeN compared to BALB/c mice (p < 0.025). P. aeruginosa was cleared more efficiently in C3H/HeN mice and significantly more C3H/HeN mice showed normal lung histopathology (p < 0.02), and we found significantly fewer microabscesses in C3H/HeN mice than in BALB/c mice (p < 0.005). In supernatants from P. aeruginosa antigen and concanavalin A-stimulated spleen cells from the two strains of mice, the interferon-(IFN-) gamma levels were higher, whereas IL-4 levels were lower in C3H/HeN mice than in BALB/c mice. The implications of these findings for CF patients with chronic P. aeruginosa lung infection are discussed.
Moser
C
C
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Johansen
H K
HK
Song
Z
Z
Hougen
H P
HP
Rygaard
J
J
Høiby
N
N
D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000276:immunology; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H / Q000276:immunology; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma