Suppression of heterologous immunity by Nematospiroides dubius antigens in vitro

C Crawford,J.M Behnke,D.I Pritchard

doi:10.1016/0020-7519(89)90018-0

C Crawford, J.M Behnke + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/0020-7519(89)90018-0

Copy DOI

Abstract

Suppression of heterologous immunity by Nematospiroides dubius antigens in vitro. International Journal for Parasitology 19: 29–34. The direct effect of the soluble antigens in the homogenate of adult Nematospiroides dubius (AH) on spleen cells from uninfected NIH mice was investigated using a Mishell-Dutton culture system. Parasite antigens were shown to reduce the plaque-forming cell (PFC) response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in a dosedependent manner in vitro. A population of suppressor cells was demonstrated in the spleens of infected mice. Furthermore naive spleen cells cultured in the presence of AH gave rise to cells which depressed the PFC response of naive cells when subsequently cultured together in vitro. Treatment of these cell populations with anti-thy 1.2 plus complement did not impair suppressor activity, and it was concluded that cells expressing the T-cell phenotype were not involved.

Highlights

THE trichostrongyle nematode Nematospiroides dubius survives in the mouse small intestine for 8 months or more in a primary infection (Ehrenford, 1954; Keymer & Hioms, 1986), and exerts a depressive effect on the host’s ability to respond to heterologous (Chowaniec, Wescott & Congdon, 1972; Shimp, Crandall & Crandall, 1975; Price & Turner, l986a, b) and homologous antigens (Pritchard & Behnke, 1985; Sitepu, Dobson & Brindley, 1985)
A primary infection with N. dubius is known to severely depress the host’s immune response to concurrently administered sheep erythrocytes (Shimp et al, 1975; Ali & Behnke, 1983), and it can be demonstrated that the degree of suppression is a function of the number of adult worms present in the small intestine (Ali & Behnke, 1983)
Mice given a normally immunogenic infection with irradiated larvae at the same time as an infection with normal larvae do not become immune to challenge (Behnke et al, 1983), and homologous immunity stimulated by an anthelmintic abbreviated infection is reduced on injection with soluble adult antigen (Pritchard & Behnke, 1985), as is the response to the heterologous antigen, sheep red cells (SRBC) (Pritchard, Ah & Behnke, 1984)

Summary

Introduction

THE trichostrongyle nematode Nematospiroides dubius survives in the mouse small intestine for 8 months or more in a primary infection (Ehrenford, 1954; Keymer & Hioms, 1986), and exerts a depressive effect on the host’s ability to respond to heterologous (Chowaniec, Wescott & Congdon, 1972; Shimp, Crandall & Crandall, 1975; Price & Turner, l986a, b) and homologous antigens (Pritchard & Behnke, 1985; Sitepu, Dobson & Brindley, 1985). A primary infection with N. dubius is known to severely depress the host’s immune response to concurrently administered sheep erythrocytes (Shimp et al, 1975; Ali & Behnke, 1983), and it can be demonstrated that the degree of suppression is a function of the number of adult worms present in the small intestine (Ali & Behnke, 1983). Mice given a normally immunogenic infection with irradiated larvae at the same time as an infection with normal larvae do not become immune to challenge (Behnke et al, 1983), and homologous immunity stimulated by an anthelmintic abbreviated infection is reduced on injection with soluble adult antigen (Pritchard & Behnke, 1985), as is the response to the heterologous antigen, sheep red cells (SRBC) (Pritchard, Ah & Behnke, 1984)

Methods

Results

Conclusion