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. 1994 May;62(5):1639–1642. doi: 10.1128/iai.62.5.1639-1642.1994

Interleukin-12 enhances murine survival against acute toxoplasmosis.

I A Khan 1, T Matsuura 1, L H Kasper 1
PMCID: PMC186373  PMID: 7909536

Abstract

Protective immunity against Toxoplasma gondii is mediated by the host cellular immune response. Interleukin-12 (IL-12), a recently described cytokine that stimulates NK cells to produce gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), is able to enhance host protection against this parasite in SCID mice. Administration of IL-12 to A/J mice significantly increased survival over that of control mice when IL-12 was delivered early in the course of acute infection. If it was administered at day 3 or thereafter, there was no observed difference in mortality between treated and control mice. Antibody depletion of IL-12 increased susceptibility to infection, as measured by mortality, only when the IL-12 was administered before day 3 postinfection. Mice treated with IL-12 at day 0 postinfection exhibited a significant rise above the control in both IL-2 and IFN-gamma production. Once infection has been established in the host (3 days), administration of exogenous IL-12 is unable to alter parasite-induced downregulation of IFN-gamma production. Thus, IL-12 appears to play an important, but transitory, role in protection against acute infection with T. gondii in the normal murine host.

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Selected References

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

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