Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1978 Jun;32(3):477–483.

In vitro suppression of lymphocyte blastogenic response to mitogen and antigen by Leishmania tropica.

M K Sharma, F Anaraki, F Ala
PMCID: PMC1541336  PMID: 357053

Abstract

Cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses are important in the immunity against Leishmania spp. infection in man. However, an infection continues to persist for a limited or indefinite period of time in spite of demonstrable CMI. The factors which allow the infection to persist in the presence of the CMI are hitherto unknown. Evidence is presented here that Leishmania tropica or their products suppress the in vitro proliferative response of normal human lymphocytes to mitogen and specific antigens. The suppressive effect of L. tropica is neither due to a direct toxic action on lymphocytes nor to competition for nutrients or antigens. In vivo such an immunosuppressive effect could both facilitate macrophage parasitization and the intracellular survival of L. tropica, even after the CMI develops to processed L. tropica antigen. Persistence of infection is seen in many other bacterial, viral and fungal infections. The in vitro suppressive effect of L. tropica on the immune response observed in our study therefore becomes relevant to the understanding of the host-parasite interaction, which may determine the eventual outcome of infection in many other intracellular infections.

Full text

PDF
477

Selected References

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

  1. Bryceson A. D., Bray R. S., Wolstencroft R. A., Dumonde D. C. Immunity in cutaneous leishmaniasis of the guinea-pig. Clin Exp Immunol. 1970 Sep;7(3):301–341. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bryceson A. D., Preston P. M., Bray R. S., Dumonde D. C. Experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis. II. Effects of immunosuppression and antigenic competition on the course of infection with Leishmania enriettii in the guinea-pig. Clin Exp Immunol. 1972 Feb;10(2):305–335. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bryceson A. D., Turk J. L. The effect of prolonged treatment with antilymphocyte serum on the course of infections with BCG and Leishmania enriettii in the guinea-pig. J Pathol. 1971 Jul;104(3):153–165. doi: 10.1002/path.1711040302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chilgren R. A., Quie P. G., Meuwissen H. J., Hong R. Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, deficiency of delayed hypersensitivity, and selective local antibody defect. Lancet. 1967 Sep 30;2(7518):688–693. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(67)90974-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dwyer J. M., Bullock W. E., Fields J. P. Disturbance of the blood T:B lymphocyte ratio in lepromatous leprosy. Clinical and immunologic correlations. N Engl J Med. 1973 May 17;288(20):1036–1039. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197305172882002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Farah F. S., Lazary S., de Weck A. The effect of Leishmania tropica on stimulation of lymphocytes with phytohaemagglutinin. Immunology. 1976 May;30(5):629–634. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Farah F. S., Samra S. A., Nuwayri-Salti N. The role of the macrophage in cutaneous leishmaniasis. Immunology. 1975 Oct;29(4):755–764. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kirkpatrick C. H., Rich R. R., Smith T. K. Effect of transfer factor on lymphocyte function in anergic patients. J Clin Invest. 1972 Nov;51(11):2948–2958. doi: 10.1172/JCI107119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mangi R. J., Niederman J. C., Kelleher J. E., Jr, Dwyer J. M., Evans A. S., Kantor F. S. Depression of cell-mediated immunity during acute infectious mononucleosis. N Engl J Med. 1974 Nov 28;291(22):1149–1153. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197411282912202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Preston P. M., Carter R. L., Leuchars E., Davies A. J., Dumonde D. C. Experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis. 3. Effects of thymectomy on the course of infection of CBA mice with Leishmania tropica. Clin Exp Immunol. 1972 Feb;10(2):337–357. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Sarosi G. A., Voth D. W., Dahl B. A., Doto I. L., Tosh F. E. Disseminated histoplasmosis: results of long-term follow-up. A center for disease control cooperative mycoses study. Ann Intern Med. 1971 Oct;75(4):511–516. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-75-4-511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Smith J. W., Utz J. P. Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis. A prospective study of 26 patients. Ann Intern Med. 1972 Apr;76(4):557–565. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-76-4-557. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Valdimarsson H., Wood C. B., Hobbs J. R., Holt P. J. Immunological features in a case of chronic granulomatous candidiasis and its treatment with transfer factor. Clin Exp Immunol. 1972 Jun;11(2):151–163. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES