title: The cell-mediated immune response to Neospora caninum during pregnancy in the mouse is associated with a bias towards production of interleukin-4.
abstract: Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite which is efficiently transmitted transplacentally in cattle where it may cause abortion. A pregnant mouse model was used to characterise the immune response following N. caninum infection; the response in non-pregnant and pregnant mice was compared. Spleen cells from both infected/non-pregnant and infected/pregnant mice produced interferon-gamma, interleukin-12 and tumour necrosis factor alpha; however, the levels of these Th1 cytokines were lower in infected/pregnant mice. Infected/non-pregnant and infected/pregnant mice also produced the Th2 cytokine interleukin-10; however, there was no trend toward a decrease of this in pregnant mice. Interleukin-4 was exclusively produced at high levels by infected/pregnant mice and thus appears responsible for the observed decline in Th1 cytokine production in pregnant mice. A bias towards Th2 cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-10 is normally associated with the maintenance of a viable pregnancy, and not with the control of protozoal infections. Consequently, the importance and role of cytokines and cell-mediated immunity in the control of transplacental transmission and foetal loss due to N. caninum infection are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Technology, Sydney, Gore Hill, NSW 2065, Australia.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: C M D
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D018688:Neospora / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D018664:Interleukin-12; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma