Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1988 Jun;64(2):241–244.

The role of antibody in immunity against experimental naegleria meningoencephalitis ('amoebic meningitis').

A Ferrante 1, B Rowan-Kelly 1
PMCID: PMC1384949  PMID: 3391642

Abstract

Mice immunized with amoeba culture fluid (ACF) from axenically cultured Naegleria fowleri showed marked protection against a lethal amoeba challenge, a result consistent with previous observations from this laboratory. The nature of this acquired resistance is not known. The data presented show that the degree of protection conferred to mice by immunization is related to the levels of antinaegleria antibodies. These antibodies react with the surface of the amoeba. The data also show that serum (and the IgG serum fraction) from immunized mice confer protection to normal mice against a lethal N. fowleri challenge. Spleen cells from immunized animals were only capable of conferring protection to recipients, when the challenge time was delayed (10 days), at which time anti-naegleria antibodies appeared in the serum of the mice. The studies suggest that antibodies play an important role in the ACF-induced resistance to experimental naegleria meningoencephalitis.

Full text

PDF
241

Images in this article

243Figure 4
on p.243

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Carter R. F. Description of a Naegleria sp. isolated from two cases of primary amoebic meningo-encephalitis, and of the experimental pathological changes induced by it. J Pathol. 1970 Apr;100(4):217–244. doi: 10.1002/path.1711000402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carter R. F. Primary amoebic meningo-encephalitis. An appraisal of present knowledge. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1972;66(2):193–213. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(72)90147-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ferrante A., Mocatta T. J. Human neutrophils require activation by mononuclear leucocyte conditioned medium to kill the pathogenic free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri. Clin Exp Immunol. 1984 Jun;56(3):559–566. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ferrante A., Rowan-Kelly B., Thong Y. H. Suppression of immunological responses in mice by treatment with amphotericin B. Clin Exp Immunol. 1979 Oct;38(1):70–76. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ferrante A., Smyth C. Mitogenicity of Naegleria fowleri extract for murine T lymphocytes. Immunology. 1984 Mar;51(3):461–468. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ferrante A., Thong Y. H. Antibody induced capping and endocytosis of surface antigens in Naegleria fowleri. Int J Parasitol. 1979 Dec;9(6):599–601. doi: 10.1016/0020-7519(79)90018-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. John D. T., Weik R. R., Adams A. C. Immunization of mice against Naegleria fowleri infection. Infect Immun. 1977 Jun;16(3):817–820. doi: 10.1128/iai.16.3.817-820.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Martinez J., Duma R. J., Nelson E. C., Moretta F. L. Experimental naegleria meningoencephalitis in mice. Penetration of the olfactory mucosal epithelium by Naegleria and pathologic changes produced: a light and electron microscope study. Lab Invest. 1973 Aug;29(2):121–133. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Rowan-Kelly B., Ferrante A., Thong Y. H. Activation of complement by Naegleria. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1980;74(3):333–336. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(80)90092-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Thong Y. H., Carter R. F., Ferrante A., Rowan-Kelly B. Site of expression of immunity to Naegleria fowleri in immunized mice. Parasite Immunol. 1983 Jan;5(1):67–76. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1983.tb00724.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Thong Y. H., Ferrante A., Rowan-Kelly B., O'Keefe D. E. Immunization with culture supernatant in experimental amoebic meningoencephalitis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1979;73(6):684–685. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(79)90021-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Thong Y. H., Ferrante A., Rowan-Kelly B., O'Keefe D. Immunization with live amoebae, amoebic lysate and culture supernatant in experimental Naegleria meningoencephalitis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1980;74(5):570–576. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(80)90141-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Thong Y. H., Ferrante A., Shepherd C., Rowan-Kelly B. Resistance of mice to Naegleria meningoencephalitis transferred by immune serum. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1978;72(6):650–652. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(78)90025-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Thong Y. H., Shepherd C., Ferrante A., Rowan-Kelly B. Protective immunity to Naegleria fowleri in experimental amebic meningoencephalitis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1978 Mar;27(2 Pt 1):238–240. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1978.27.238. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Visvesvara G. S., Callaway C. S. Light and electron microsopic observations on the pathogenesis of Naegleria fowleri in mouse brain and tissue culture. J Protozool. 1974 May;21(2):239–250. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1974.tb03648.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Yong W. K., Glanville R. J., Dobson C. The role of the spleen in protective immunity against Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats: splenectomy and passive spleen cell transfers. Int J Parasitol. 1983 Apr;13(2):165–170. doi: 10.1016/0020-7519(83)90007-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES