Abstract
Strain-dependent differences in host morbidity and mortality due to Angiostrongyluscantonensis infection have been established between C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice; C57BL/6 mice show rapid worm killing with low morbidity, whereas BALB/c mice indicate slow worm killing with high morbidity and mortality. To determine the possible roles of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in host morbidity and innate resistance to A. cantonensis infection we treated C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice with anti-CD4 or anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody and examined the changes in host morbidity and worm-killing activity. Our study indicates that anti-CD4 antibody treatment interferes with worm killing and improves the morbidity of A. cantonensis-infected BALB/c mice, whereas anti-CD8 antibody treatment fails to improve the morbidity. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, or cachectin) production in infected mice was not correlated with host morbidity. Anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody treatment also failed to affect the morbidity of infected BALB/c mice, although their worm-killing activity was restrained as shown in anti-CD4-treated mice. These findings clearly indicate that the morbidity of infected BALB/c mice is regulated by some unknown CD4+ T-cell-dependent mechanism but not by an IL-5-, eosinophil-, or TNF-α-dependent mechanism.
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Received: 9 June 1997 / Accepted: 11 July 1997
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Aoki, M., Sugaya, H., Ishida, K. et al. The role of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in host morbidity and innate resistance to Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the mouse. Parasitol Res 84, 91–99 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004360050363
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004360050363