title: Immune response of mice with alveolar echinococcosis to therapy with transfer factor, alone and in combination with albendazole.
abstract: The effect of dialysable leucocyte extract (transfer factor TF) on immune response of mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis and treated with albendazole (ABZ) was observed. TF administration increased the parasite-suppressed proliferative response of T and B lymphocytes of infected mice from weeks 8 to 12 or 14 post infection (p.i.), respectively, with the most stimulative effect after TF+ABZ therapy. The CD4 T cell presence in the spleen of infected mice with TF or TF+ABZ therapy was increased from weeks 6 to 12 or 14 p.i., respectively. The production of IFN-gamma (Th1 cytokine) after TF or TF+ABZ therapy was significantly higher from weeks 6 to 12 p.i., and during this time, the significantly inhibited IL-5 synthesis (Th2 cytokine) was detected, particularly after TF+ABZ therapy. The superoxide anion (O2-) production in peritoneal macrophages of infected mice treated with TF or TF+ABZ was stimulated from weeks 8 to 18 p.i. The immunomodulative effect of TF reduced the growth of larval cysts till week 14 p.i. with a comparable intensity to the anthelmintic drug ABZ. Combined therapy TF+ABZ resulted in the greatest parasite restriction and reduced the cyst development till the end of the experiment.
authors: Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Kosice 040 01, Slovak Republic. dvoroz@saske.sk
authors: Emília
authors: E
authors: Dvoroznáková
authors: Jarmila
authors: J
authors: Porubcová
authors: Zuzana
authors: Z
authors: Sevcíková
mesh_terms: D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D014165:Transfer Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D015848:Interleukin-5; D014165:Transfer Factor; D013481:Superoxides; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D015766:Albendazole