title: Filariae-Retrovirus Co-infection in Mice is Associated with Suppressed Virus-Specific IgG Immune Response and Higher Viral Loads.
abstract: Worldwide more than 2 billion people are infected with helminths, predominantly in developing countries. Co-infections with viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are common due to the geographical overlap of these pathogens. Helminth and viral infections induce antagonistic cytokine responses in their hosts. Helminths shift the immune system to a type 2-dominated immune response, while viral infections skew the cytokine response towards a type 1 immune response. Moreover, chronic helminth infections are often associated with a generalized suppression of the immune system leading to prolonged parasite survival, and also to a reduced defence against unrelated pathogens. To test whether helminths affect the outcome of a viral infection we set up a filarial/retrovirus co-infection model in C57BL/6 mice. Although Friend virus (FV) infection altered the L. sigmodontis-specific immunoglobulin response towards a type I associated IgG2 isotype in co-infected mice, control of L. sigmodontis infection was not affected by a FV-superinfection. However, reciprocal control of FV infection was clearly impaired by concurrent L. sigmodontis infection. Spleen weight as an indicator of pathology and viral loads in spleen, lymph nodes (LN) and bone marrow (BM) were increased in L. sigmodontis/FV-co-infected mice compared to only FV-infected mice. Numbers of FV-specific CD8+ T cells as well as cytokine production by CD4+ and CD8+ cells were alike in co-infected and FV-infected mice. Increased viral loads in co-infected mice were associated with reduced titres of neutralising FV-specific IgG2b and IgG2c antibodies. In summary our findings suggest that helminth infection interfered with the control of retroviral infection by dampening the virus-specific neutralising antibody response.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Kirsten Katrin
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Dietze
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dittmer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel Karim
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Koudaimi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schimmer
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reitz
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Minka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Breloer
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Wiebke
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hartmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000821:virology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D060085:Coinfection / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005368:Filariasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D005370:Filarioidea / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005622:Friend murine leukemia virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G