title: Eosinophil-nerve interactions and neuronal plasticity in rat gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in response to enteric parasitism.
abstract: Intestinal lymphoid tissues and Peyer's patches (PP) are innervated sites of immune surveillance in the gastrointestinal tract. Following infection with F. hepatica, neuronal hyperplasia and significantly increased eosinophil and mast cell trafficking to colonic PP sites were evident in rat tissues. Nerve-eosinophil associations were significantly elevated in infected colon and colonic PP, as were colonic tissue levels of the circulatory recruitment factors IL-5 and eotaxin. Increased immunoreactivity for neuronal plasticity markers GAP-43 and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was also found in infected tissues. Such neuronal alterations in the PP during enteric parasitism may have functional consequences on particular or pathogen uptake.
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine and the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Campion
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000276:immunology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology; D003106:Colon / Q000276:immunology / Q000294:innervation / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000276:immunology; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000294:innervation / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000276:immunology*; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000276:immunology* / Q000294:innervation / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar