Skip to main content
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1978 May;20(2):393–397. doi: 10.1128/iai.20.2.393-397.1978

Suppression of cellular responses in mice during Trypanosoma cruzi infections.

E C Rowland, R E Kuhn
PMCID: PMC421868  PMID: 97228

Abstract

Immunosuppression has been reported to occur in several protozoan parasitic infections. The significance of this suppression on host resistance or on parasite avoidance of immune destruction has not, however, been determined. In the present study two strains of mice that differ with respect to resistance to Trypanosoma cruzi were examined during the course of infection for differences in expression of suppression of blastogenic responses to phytohemagglutinin and an antigen preparation of these parasites. It was found that in vitro blastogenic responses were suppressed in both strains of mice: on day 12 for C57BL/6 mice (resistant strain) and on day 17 for C3H(He) mice (susceptible strain). Neither C3H(He) nor C57BL/6 lymph node cells (LNC) responded to a crude sonically treated antigen of these parasites, although C57BL/6 LNC were inhibited by this antigen later in infection. There was no abrogation of suppression of LNC responses late in infection, when decreases in spleen weight or total spleen cell numbers occurred, in the resistant C57BL/6 mice. LNC from normal uninfected mice were found to be completely suppressed in responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin when cultured at a 2:1 ratio with LNC from C57BL/6 mice with 18-day infections. Attempts to characterize the cell type responsible for this suppression showed it to be a non-thy 1.2-bearing, nylon wool-adherent cell.

Full text

PDF
393

Selected References

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

  1. Ackerman S. B., Seed J. R. Immunodepression during Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infections in the field vole, Microtus montanus. Clin Exp Immunol. 1976 Jul;25(1):152–158. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Albright J. F., Albright J. W., Dusanic D. G. Trypanosome-induced splenomegaly and suppression of mouse spleen cell responses to antigen and mitogens. J Reticuloendothel Soc. 1977 Jan;21(1):21–31. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Colley D. G. Schistosomal egg antigen-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis in experimental murine Schistosoma mansoni infection. J Immunol. 1971 Nov;107(5):1477–1480. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gravely S. M., Kreier J. P. Adoptive transfer of immunity to Plasmodium berghei with immune T and B lymphocytes. Infect Immun. 1976 Jul;14(1):184–190. doi: 10.1128/iai.14.1.184-190.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jayawardena A. N., Waksman B. H. Suppressor cells in experimentally trypanosomiasis. Nature. 1977 Feb 10;265(5594):539–541. doi: 10.1038/265539a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kuhn R. E., Vaughn R. T., Iannuzzi N. P. The in vivo distribution of 51Cr-labeled Trypanosoma cruzi in mice. Int J Parasitol. 1974 Dec;4(6):585–588. doi: 10.1016/0020-7519(74)90022-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mansfield J. M., Wallace J. H. Suppression of cell-mediated immunity in experimental African trypanosomiasis. Infect Immun. 1974 Aug;10(2):335–339. doi: 10.1128/iai.10.2.335-339.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Marr J. S., Pike E. H. The protection of mice by "Corpus Christi" strain of Trypanosoma cruzi when challenged with "Brasil" strain. J Parasitol. 1967 Jun;53(3):657–659. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Proffitt M. R., Hirsch M. S., McKenzie I. F., Gheridian B., Black P. H. Immunological mechanisms in the pathogenesis of virus-induced murine leukemia. II. Characterization of autoreactive thymocytes. Int J Cancer. 1975 Feb 15;15(2):230–240. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910150208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Reed S. G., Larson C. L., Speer C. A. Suppression of cell-mediated immunity in experimental Chagas' disease. Z Parasitenkd. 1977 Jun 3;52(1):11–17. doi: 10.1007/BF00380553. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Strickland G. T., Ahmed A., Sell K. W. Blastogenic response of Toxoplasma-infected mouse spleen cells to T- and B-cell mitogens. Clin Exp Immunol. 1975 Oct;22(1):167–176. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES