Immune response to Taenia solium cysticerci after anti-parasitic therapy.
Albendazole is the drug of choice for Taenia solium infection. Concomitant administration of steroid has been advocated to avoid adverse reactions to albendazole therapy in neurocysticercosis. Some T. solium cysticerci (larvae) respond to albendazole therapy while others do not and the reasons remain unexplained. We hypothesise that the immune response differs between treatment responder and non-responder cysticerci and this may determine the outcome. Twenty swine naturally infected with T. solium were purchased from the market and the infection was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Swine were divided into two groups; swine in group 1 were treated with albendazole and those in group 2 were treated with albendazole plus steroid (prednisolone). All the animals underwent follow-up MRIs at 6 and 12 weeks after start of therapy and were then sacrificed. Tissues surrounding the cysticerci were collected and studied for the expression of different cytokines by reverse transcriptase PCR and ELISA. Albendazole therapy was found to be more effective in parasite killing than albendazole plus steroid (94.11% versus 70.96%, P=0.011). Albendazole therapy provoked a pro-inflammatory, Th1 (IFN-γ) and pleiotropic (IL-6) cytokine response around the dead cysticerci. Despite a heavy parasite burden in the brain, all the pigs treated with albendazole plus steroid survived. In this group of animals, a mixed pro-inflammatory Th1, Th2 (IL-4) and regulatory cytokine (IL-10) response was associated with responder cysticerci. Further, Th2 and regulatory cytokine responses were associated with non-responder cysticerci.
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Aloukick K
AK
Singh
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Satyendra K
SK
Singh
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Amrita
A
Singh
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Kamlesh K
KK
Gupta
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Jahanarah
J
Khatoon
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India; School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, H.P. 175001, India.
Amit
A
Prasad
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Ravi P
RP
Rai
Department of Radiodiagnosis, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Rakesh K
RK
Gupta
Department of Anaesthesiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India.
Mukesh
M
Tripathi
Department of Pathology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226010, India.
Nuzhat
N
Husain
Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, U.P. 226014, India. Electronic address: knprasad@sgpgi.ac.in.
Kashi N
KN
Prasad
D015766:Albendazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003551:Cysticercosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003552:Cysticercus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011859:Radiography; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D041201:Taenia solium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D011239:Prednisolone; D015766:Albendazole
Albendazole; Albendazole plus steroid immune response; Neurocysticercosis; Responder and non-responder cysticerci