Comparison of the significance of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the protection of mice against Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection.
The role of T lymphocyte subpopulations in the protection against intraperitoneal (i.p.) and peroral Encephalitozoon cuniculi infections was compared in adoptive-transfer experiments using severe combined immunodeficient mice. Whereas CD8+ T cell-depleted, but not CD4+ T cell-depleted, BALB/c splenocytes failed to protect the mice against i.p. infection, only SCID mice reconstituted with both CD4+ T lymphocyte- and CD8+ T lymphocyte-depleted splenocytes succumbed to peroral infection. The results indicate that whereas CD8+ T cells are critical for the protection against an i.p. E. cuniculi infection, both CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte subpopulations play a substantive protective role in a peroral infection, i.e., natural route of infection.
Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Branisovská 31, 370 05 Ceské Budĕjovice, Czech Republic.
Pavlína
P
Braunfuchsová
Jirí
J
Salát
Jan
J
Kopecký
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D009670:Encephalitozoon cuniculi; D016890:Encephalitozoonosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016513:Mice, SCID; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology