Contrasting effects of acute and chronic gastro-intestinal helminth infections on a heterologous immune response in a transgenic adoptive transfer model.
We have previously found that co-immunisation with ovalbumin (OVA) and the body fluid of the helminth Ascaris suum inhibited an OVA-specific delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response by reducing OVA-specific CD4+ T lymphocyte proliferation via an IL-4 independent mechanism. In the present study, we determined whether parasite infections themselves could induce similar changes to peripheral immunisation by examining the modulation of OVA-specific immune responses during acute and chronic helminth infections. Surprisingly, an acute infection with Trichinella spiralis, but not a chronic infection with Heligmosomoides polygyrus, inhibited the OVA-specific DTH reaction. Correspondingly, the T helper 1 (Th1) OVA-specific response was decreased in mice infected with T. spiralis, but not with H. polygyrus. Inhibition of the Th1 response may be a result of a shift in the Th1/Th2 balance as although both H. polygyrus and T. spiralis infected mice induced a Th2 OVA-specific response, that exhibited by T. spiralis was more potent. Furthermore, although IL-10 secretion upon OVA restimulation was similarly increased by both infections, production of this immunoregulatory cytokine may play a role in the suppression of immune responses observed with T. spiralis infection depending on the context of its release. Interestingly, analysis of the OVA-specific T lymphocyte division by carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) staining revealed that gastro-intestinal infection with the acute helminth T. spiralis, but not with chronic H. polygyrus, inhibited the systemic immune response by significantly inhibiting the antigen-specific T cell proliferation during the primary response, a mechanism similar to that observed when A. suum parasite extracts were directly mixed with the OVA during immunisation in our previous studies.
Boitelle
A
A
Department of Immunology, University of Strathclyde, The Todd Wing, SIBS, 27 Taylor Street, Glasgow G4 0NR, UK.
Di Lorenzo
C
C
Scales
H E
HE
Devaney
Eileen
E
Kennedy
M W
MW
Garside
P
P
Lawrence
C E
CE
D000208:Acute Disease; D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000276:immunology*; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology*; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D023421:Models, Animal; D009351:Nematospiroides dubius / Q000276:immunology; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000235:genetics; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D017160:Trichinella spiralis / Q000276:immunology; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000276:immunology
D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D010047:Ovalbumin