title: Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (AS): differential cellular responses to infection in resistant and susceptible mice.
abstract: The infection with blood stages of Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (AS) was followed in BALB/c and DBA/2 mice. Both strains show a peak parasitemia by 7-9 days after infection, display splenic hypercellularity of T and B cells, thymic atrophy, nearly complete depletion of B cells in the bone marrow, and mount comparable polyclonal IgM and IgG responses in the serum. In contrast, these strains diverge in some aspects of the immune response and susceptibility to infection: while BALB/c survive, 70-80% of DBA/2 die within 2 weeks; BALB/c but not DBA/2 show marked increases in the levels of splenic gamma/delta and regulatory T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages and parasite-specific IgM and IgG levels; however, lower levels of TNF-alpha and IL-12 were observed. These results suggest the relevance of different cell populations that are known to participate/regulate specific antibody responses and cytokine production in the susceptibility to infection.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Portugal. eseixas@igc.gulbenkian.pt
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seixas
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ostler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000097:blood; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D016788:Plasmodium chabaudi / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D018664:Interleukin-12