Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1987 Oct;55(10):2502–2508. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.10.2502-2508.1987

Adoptive transfer of immunity to Treponema pallidum Nichols infection in inbred strain 2 and C4D guinea pigs.

V Wicher 1, K Wicher 1, A Jakubowski 1, S M Nakeeb 1
PMCID: PMC260737  PMID: 3308709

Abstract

T lymphocytes purified from lymph nodes and spleens of chancre-immune, inbred strain 2 guinea pigs, when infused into syngeneic guinea pigs, conferred protection against challenge with Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum Nichols. No protection was conferred by similar injections of cell suspensions from normal guinea pigs or guinea pigs immunized with T. phagedenis biotype Reiter or T. pallidum-free testis supernatants from infected rabbits. Similar results were obtained with homozygous C4D guinea pigs. After several months of infection, 2 of 11 strain 2 and 1 of 8 strain C4D recipients of T. pallidum-immune cells developed an erythematous reaction of short duration at the injection site; 2 of these recipients were positive for T. pallidum. Throughout the experimental period the humoral response to treponemal antigens was substantially lower in the adoptively immune guinea pigs than in various unprotected control groups. Passive immunity to infection with T. pallidum, however, seems to be dose related, since asymptomatic infection persisted for as long as 3 months after challenge in strain 2 guinea pigs transfused with 10(8) T. pallidum-immune lymphocytes, but not in C4D recipients of twice as many immune cells.

Full text

PDF
2507

Images in this article

2505Image
on p.2505

Selected References

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

  1. Baughn R. E., Musher D. M., Simmons C. B. Inability of spleen cells from chancre-immune rabbits to confer immunity to challenge with Treponema pallidum. Infect Immun. 1977 Sep;17(3):535–540. doi: 10.1128/iai.17.3.535-540.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bishop N. H., Miller J. N. Humoral immunity in experimental syphilis. I. The demonstration of resistance conferred by passive immunization. J Immunol. 1976 Jul;117(1):191–196. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burger R., Scher I., Sharrow S. O., Shevach E. M. Non-activated guinea-pig T cells and thymocytes express Ia antigens: FACS analysis with alloantibodies and monoclonal antibodies. Immunology. 1984 Jan;51(1):93–102. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ellman L., Green I., Frank M. Genetically controlled total deficiency of the fourth component of complement in the guinea pig. Science. 1970 Oct 2;170(3953):74–75. doi: 10.1126/science.170.3953.74. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gadeberg O. V., Rhodes J. M., Larsen S. O. Isolation of human peripheral blood monocytes: a comparative methodological study. J Immunol Methods. 1979;31(1-2):1–10. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(79)90280-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Green I., Forni G., Konen T., Hu C. P., Schwartz B. D., Kask A., Shevach E. M. Immunological studies of the guinea pig L2C leukemia. Fed Proc. 1977 Aug;36(9):2264–2267. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Guerraz F. T., Sepetjian M., Monier J. C., Salussola D. Changes in the susceptibility of the golden hamster to cutaneous treponemal infection after transfer of lymphoid cells from infected donors. Br J Vener Dis. 1977 Apr;53(2):146–147. doi: 10.1136/sti.53.2.146-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jakubowski A., Wicher V., Gruhn R., Wicher K. Natural antibodies to treponemal antigens in four strains of guinea-pigs. Immunology. 1987 Feb;60(2):281–285. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Li C. Y., Lam K. W., Yam L. T. Esterases in human leukocytes. J Histochem Cytochem. 1973 Jan;21(1):1–12. doi: 10.1177/21.1.1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lyons C. R., Lipscomb M. F., Schlossman S. F., Tucker T. F., Uhr J. W. Biochemical characterization of Ia alloantigens in guinea pigs. I. Synthesis of Ia antigens by subsets enriched for B cells, T cells, or macrophages. J Immunol. 1981 Nov;127(5):1879–1885. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. MILLER J. N., WHANG S. J., FAZZAN F. P. STUDIES ON IMMUNITY IN EXPERIMENTAL SYPHILIS. I. IMMUNOLOGIC RESPONSE OF RABBITS IMMUNIZED WITH REITER PROTEIN ANTIGEN AND CHALLENGED WITH VIRULENT TREPONEMA PALLIDUM. Br J Vener Dis. 1963 Sep;39:195–198. doi: 10.1136/sti.39.3.195. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Metzger M., Smogór W. Passive transfer of immunity to experimental syphilis in rabbits by immune lymphocytes. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 1975;23(5):625–630. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Pavia C. S., Niederbuhl C. J. Adoptive transfer of anti-syphilis immunity with lymphocytes from Treponema pallidum-infected guinea pigs. J Immunol. 1985 Oct;135(4):2829–2834. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Perine P. L., Weiser R. S., Klebanoff S. J. Immunity to syphilis. I. Passive transfer in rabbits with hyperimmune serum. Infect Immun. 1973 Nov;8(5):787–790. doi: 10.1128/iai.8.5.787-790.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pierce C. S., Wicher K., Nakeeb S. Experimental syphilis: guinea pig model. Br J Vener Dis. 1983 Jun;59(3):157–168. doi: 10.1136/sti.59.3.157. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Schell R. F., Chan J. K., Le Frock J. L. Endemic syphilis: passive transfer of resistance with serum and cells in hamsters. J Infect Dis. 1979 Sep;140(3):378–383. doi: 10.1093/infdis/140.3.378. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schell R. F., Chan J. K., LeFrock J. L., Bagasra O. Endemic syphilis: transfer of resistance to Treponema pallidum strain Bosnia A in hamsters with a cell suspension enriched in thymus-derived cells. J Infect Dis. 1980 Jun;141(6):752–758. doi: 10.1093/infdis/141.6.752. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Schell R. F., Le Frock J. L., Babu J. P. Passive transfer of resistance to frambesial infection in hamsters. Infect Immun. 1978 Aug;21(2):430–435. doi: 10.1128/iai.21.2.430-435.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sell S., Salman J., Norris S. J. Reinfection of chancre-immune rabbits with Treponema pallidum. I. Light and immunofluorescence studies. Am J Pathol. 1985 Feb;118(2):248–255. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sepetjian M., Salussola D., Thivolet J. Attempt to protect rabbits against experimental syphilis by passive immunization. Br J Vener Dis. 1973 Aug;49(4):335–337. doi: 10.1136/sti.49.4.335. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. TURNER T. B., HOLLANDER D. H. Studies on treponemes from cases of endemic syphilis. Bull World Health Organ. 1952;7(1):75–81. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Trizio D., Cudkowicz G. Separation of T and B lymphocytes by nylon wool columns: evaluation of efficacy by functional assays in vivo. J Immunol. 1974 Oct;113(4):1093–1097. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Turner T. B., Hardy P. H., Jr, Newman B., Nell E. E. Effects of passive immunization on experimental syphilis in the rabbit. Johns Hopkins Med J. 1973 Nov;133(5):241–251. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Webster R. O., Rudofsky U. H., Pickering R. J. C4 synthesis in C4-deficient guinea pig radiation chimeras: restoration of the classic complement pathway. J Immunol. 1976 Sep;117(3):841–846. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Wicher K., Wicher V., Gruhn R. F. Differences in susceptibility to infection with Treponema pallidum (Nichols) between five strains of guinea pig. Genitourin Med. 1985 Feb;61(1):21–26. doi: 10.1136/sti.61.1.21. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wicher K., Wicher V., Nakeeb S. M., Dubiski S. Studies of rabbit testes infected with Treponema pallidum. I Immunopathology. Br J Vener Dis. 1983 Dec;59(6):349–358. doi: 10.1136/sti.59.6.349. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Wicher V., Wicher K. Lymphocyte transformation in inbred guinea pigs infected with Treponema pallidum nichols. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1985;76(3):266–269. doi: 10.1159/000233703. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Wos S. M., Wicher K. Antigenic evidence for host origin of exudative fluids in lesions of Treponema pallidum-infected rabbits. Infect Immun. 1985 Jan;47(1):228–233. doi: 10.1128/iai.47.1.228-233.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Wos S. M., Wicher K. Extensive cross reactivity between Treponema pallidum and cultivable treponemes demonstrated by sequential immunoadsorption. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1986;79(3):282–285. doi: 10.1159/000233987. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Yamashita U., Shevach E. M. The expression of Ia antigens on immunocompetent cells in the quinea pig. I the differential expression of Ia antigens on T cell subpopulations. J Immunol. 1977 Nov;119(5):1575–1583. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES