Mycobacterium avium infection in mice is associated with time-related expression of Th1 and Th2 CD4+ T-lymphocyte response.

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Disseminated infection caused by organisms of Mycobacterium avium complex is common in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. M. avium is an intracellular bacterium that multiplies within macrophages. We examined the effect of M. avium infection on the T-helper cell response in C57/BL/6 black mice. At weekly intervals, CD4+ T-cells were isolated from spleens and lines were created. T-cell lines were exposed to sonicated M. avium in the presence of feeder cells and macrophages and the supernatant were collected to measure the concentrations of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Production of IFN-gamma in CD4+ T-cells obtained from uninfected mice did not vary significantly during the 5 weeks. Levels of IFN-gamma produced by T-cell lines of infected mice were similar to the control mice during the first 2 weeks but significantly reduced (approximately 30 ng/ml) thereafter. In contrast, production of IL-10 by T-cell lines of infected mice was in a range of 190 to 342 pg/ml in weeks 1, 2 and 3, but increased to an average of 1300 pg/ml at weeks 4 and 5. Pre-immunized mice, when infected with M. avium strain 101, showed a different profile of T-cell cytokines, with high IFN-gamma and low IL-10 production. Proteins purified from a number of disease-associated (D-A) and non-D-A strains of M. avium were tested for the ability to induce IL-10. 65,000 MW and 60,000 MW proteins of M. avium induced significantly more IL-10 than 45,000 MW, 33,000 MW and 27,000 MW proteins. These results showed that M. avium predominantly stimulates either Th1 or Th2 T-helper cells according to the phase of the infection.