Cytotoxic mechanisms may play a role in the local immune response in the central nervous system in neuroborreliosis.
Aiming to investigate the role of cytotoxic mechanisms in neuroborreliosis (NB), the cytokines IL-2, IL-7, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-15, GM-CSF and the Th17-cytokine IL-17 were analyzed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma from NB-patients. NB-patients showed increased levels in CSF compared to controls of all analyzed cytokines except IL-15 but not in plasma. Blood lymphocytes from three NB-patients showed functional cytotoxicity in response to autologous Borrelia-infected macrophages. The findings support a role for cytotoxic mechanisms in the local immune response in NB and in addition suggest an increase of IL-17.
Linköping University, Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Infectious Medicine, Linköping, Sweden. marika.karlsson@liu.se
Marika
M
Nordberg
Pia
P
Forsberg
Anna
A
Johansson
Dag
D
Nyman
Christian
C
Jansson
Jan
J
Ernerudh
Christina
C
Ekerfelt
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020852:Lyme Neuroborreliosis / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D016207:Cytokines