title: Perturbations in eosinophil homeostasis following treatment of lymphatic filariasis.
abstract: Treatment of patients with patent Wuchereria bancrofti infection results in an acute clinical reaction and peripheral eosinophilia. To investigate the dynamics of the eosinophil response, changes in eosinophil activation and degranulation and plasma levels of eosinophil-active chemokines and cytokines were studied in 15 microfilaremic individuals in south India by sequential blood sampling before and after administration of 300 mg of diethylcarbamazine (DEC). Clinical symptoms occurred within 24 h. Plasma interleukin-5 (IL-5) and RANTES levels peaked 1 to 2 days posttreatment, preceding a peak peripheral eosinophil count at day 4. Major basic protein secretion from eosinophils paralleled IL-5 secretion, while levels of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin peaked at day 13 after treatment. Expression of the activation markers HLA-DR and CD25 on eosinophils rose markedly immediately after treatment, while expression of VLA-4 and alpha4beta7 showed an early peak within 24 h and a second peak at day 13. Thus, the posttreatment reactions seen in filarial infections can be divided into an early phase with killing of microfilariae, clinical symptomatology, increases in plasma IL-5 and RANTES levels, and eosinophil activation and degranulation and a later phase with expression of surface integrins on eosinophils, recruitment of eosinophils from the bone marrow to tissues, and clearance of parasite antigen.
authors.affiliation: Helminth Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. rgopinath@niaid.nih.gov
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gopinath
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumaraswami
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perumal
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kavitha
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vijayasekaran
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Nutman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000187:drug effects; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004049:Diethylcarbamazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005369:Filaricides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014958:Wuchereria bancrofti
chemical_list: D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines; D005369:Filaricides; D015848:Interleukin-5; D004049:Diethylcarbamazine