Abstract.
We studied the histomorphology of granuloma formation and cytokine production in Angiostrongylus costaricensis-infected immunocompetent and immunodeficient BALB/c mice. Histological examination of the infected intestine showed well developed granulomas in BALB/c mice. In contrast, in SCID mice, clusters of eggs and larvae and a progression of infiltration of inflammatory cells were also observed, but little fibroblastic activity was seen. Analysis of plasma of the infected mice demonstrated a dramatic contrast in the cytokine profile between normal and SCID mice. Normal mice infected with A. costaricensis showed highly elevated plasma IFN-γ levels at week 3 of infection, but plasma IL-4 remained close to the background levels obtained from non-infected mice. In contrast, the amount of those cytokines in the plasma of SCID animals was little affected by this parasitic infection. These results suggest that Th1-mediated immunity is required for granuloma formation in response to A. costaricensis infection in mice.
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Ishih, .A., Baba, .S., Nagata, .T. et al. Intestinal granuloma formation in normal and SCID BALB/c mice infected with Angiostrongylus costaricensis . Parasitol Res 89, 150–153 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0651-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0651-2