The immune response to toxocariasis does not modify susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in BALB/c mice.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and helminth infections coincide geographically and are classically described as TH1 and TH2 pathologies. There is much interest in exploring how concurrent worm infections might alter immune responses to mycobacterial infection. To explore this issue, mice were infected with Toxocara canis and co-infected with M. tuberculosis. Mice infected with M. tuberculosis had high numbers of neutrophils and mononuclear cells within the alveolar spaces, with increased parenchymal interferon (IFN)-gamma levels. However, in Toxocara-infected mice we detected increased eosinophil numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and increased parenchymal levels of interleukin (IL)-5. In co-infected mice the BALF demonstrated enhanced eosinophil influx with decreased neutrophil and mononuclear cell accumulation. However, co-infected mice had similar mycobacterial proliferation in their lungs accompanied by similar histopathological changes and similar cytokine/nitric oxide production compared with Mycobacterium-only-infected mice. Our results suggest that T. canis infection does not necessarily lead to increased susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis.
Frantz
Fabiani Gai
FG
Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo-Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. frantz@fcfrp.usp.br
Rosada
Rogério Silva
RS
Turato
Walter Miguel
WM
Peres
Camila Matias
CM
Coelho-Castelo
Arlete Aparecida Martins
AA
Ramos
Simone Gusmão
SG
Aronoff
David Michael
DM
Silva
Célio Lopes
CL
Faccioli
Lúcia Helena
LH
D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000469:parasitology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D017166:Toxocara canis / Q000276:immunology*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology
D016207:Cytokines; D009569:Nitric Oxide