Natural killer cell activity in mice infected with free-living amoeba with reference to their pathogenicity

Abstract

The purpose of this observation was to investigate the natural killer cell activities in mice infected with pathogenic free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba culbertsoni according to the infection doses, and infected with non-pathogenic free-living amoeba, Naegleria gruberi. The natural killer cell activity was examined by means of target binding capacity, active NK cell and maximum recycling capacity of the mice after inoculating free-living amoebae with low and high doses. The mice infected with 1,103, 1,105 A. culbertsoni trophozoites showed mortality rates of 6.9% and 65.5%, respectively. The mice infected with 1,104, 1,105 N. fowleri trophozoites showed mortality rates of 5.9% and 72.2%, respectively. The NK cell activities in all experimental groups increased significantly on day 1 after infection as compared with control group, and then remarkably declined thereafter, there was no difference of the cytotoxic activity of the NK cells in mice among inoculation doses of pathogenic free-living amoebae. The target binding capacities of NK cells and percentages of activated NK cells in mice infected with pathogenic free-living amoebae were significantly increased a day after infection, as compared with control group. There was no difference of the maximal recycling capacities of NK cells in all experimental groups as compared with control group. There was significant difference in the cytotoxic activity and single cell cytotoxicity of NK cells between the experimental groups infected with pathogenic free-living amoebae and that infected with non-pathogenic free-living amoebae.