Toxocara canis: effect of inoculum size on pulmonary pathology and cytokine expression in BALB/c mice.
Infection of mice with Toxocara canis results in pulmonary inflammation and the induction of a Th2 type of immune response. The aim of this study was to determine whether the effect of infection with this nematode depends on the inoculum size. Results indicate that mice infected with either a high or a low inoculum size showed, in a dose-dependent manner, pulmonary inflammation with eosinophil infiltration, increased levels of total IgE, and Toxocara-specific IgG1 that persisted up to 60 days p.i. Relative quantification of cytokine expression in lungs of mice infected with different doses showed proportional increased expression of the IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 transcripts, whereas the expression of the IFN-gamma transcript was not different from that of uninfected controls. These results indicate that infection of BALB/c mice with T. canis results in chronic pulmonary inflammation and a dominant Th2 type of immune response, independent of the inoculum size.
Pinelli
Elena
E
Diagnostic Laboratory for Infectious Diseases and Perinatal Screening, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands. elena.pinelli@rivm.nl
Brandes
Sietze
S
Dormans
Jan
J
Fonville
Manoj
M
Hamilton
Clare M
CM
der Giessen
Joke van
Jv
D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D017166:Toxocara canis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology
D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D016207:Cytokines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D007073:Immunoglobulin E