Clinical efficacy of and immunologic alterations caused by interferon gamma therapy for alveolar echinococcosis.
Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare and often fatal disease characterized by a tumorlike expansion of the metacestode Echinococcus multilocularis in the liver. Because of the severe side effects of therapy with benzimidazoles, we treated a patient with recombinant interferon gamma at a dose of 250 microg over a 3-day period once a month. Disease progression was not detected during the observed period of 18 months. Following stimulation with crude Echinococcus antigen, mRNA from interleukin 5 was still detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by means of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis, and expression of interleukin 10 in T lymphocytes (as measured by fluorescence-associated cell sorting of intracellular cytokines) was elevated. These results indicate that bolus therapy with interferon gamma has some clinical effect but does not result in a change in the T helper 2 lymphocyte-dominated immune response to this parasite.
Jenne
L
L
Section of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital and Medical Clinic of Ulm, Germany.
Kilwinski
J
J
Radloff
P
P
Flick
W
W
Kern
P
P
D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
D016207:Cytokines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma