Cutting edge: T cell-mediated pathology in murine Lyme borreliosis.
Even in the absence of an appropriate model or direct evidence, T cells have been hypothesized to exacerbate the manifestations of Lyme disease. To define definitely the role of T cells in Lyme disease, the course of disease in immunocompetent and B cell-deficient mice was compared. By 8 wk postinoculation, immunocompetent mice resolved both carditis and arthritis, whereas foci of myocarditis and severe destructive arthritis characterized disease of B cell-deficient mice. Cell transfer experiments using infected B6-Rag1 knock out mice demonstrated that: 1) innate immunity mediated the initial sequelae of infection, 2) transferring both naive T cells and B cells induced resolution of carditis and arthritis, 3) infected mice reconstituted with T cells developed myocarditis and severe destructive arthritis, and 4) CD4+ T cells were responsible for the observed immune-mediated pathology. These data demonstrate directly the deleterious effect of T cells in Lyme disease.
McKisic
M D
MD
Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616, USA. mdmckisic@ucdavis.edu
Redmond
W L
WL
Barthold
S W
SW
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D001168:Arthritis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D017710:Lymphocyte Transfusion; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; C064658:RAG-1 protein