The immunological mechanisms involved in maintenance of an asymptomatic microfilaremic state (MF)

To determine whether counterregulation by interleukin (IL)-10 plays a role in the generation or maintenance of the antigen-specific hyporesponsiveness seen in asymptomatic microfilaremic (MF) patients, parasite antigen (PAg)- and nonparasite antigen (NPAg)-driven IL-10 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was studied in 10 MF patients and in ll patients with chronic lymphatic pathology (CP). PBMC from MF patients spontaneously secreted 10-fold more IL-10 than did PBMC from patients with CP. PAg also induced significantly more IL-10 production by PBMC from CP patients. There was a negative correlation between PAg driven IL-10 production by PBMC and PAg-specific T cell proliferation in the MF group. IL-10 secretion by plastic adherent cells from MF persons was higher in response to PAg than NPAg, whereas IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion were equivalent for PAg and NPAg, suggesting that PAg preferentially induces IL-10 secretion in these cells. Thus, PAg-induced IL-10 likely plays an important role in down-regulating antigen-specific proliferative responses in MF patients.

To explore the mechanisms of antigen-specific immune unresponsiveness seen in microfilaremic patients with bancroftian filariasis, T and B cell precursor frequency analysis was performed using PBMC from individuals with either asymptomatic microfilaremia (MF, n = 7) or chronic lymphatic obstruction (CP, n = 20). Highly purified CD3+ cells were partially reconstituted with adherent cells and their proliferative response to parasite antigens determined in cultures of T cells by limiting dilution analysis. A filter immunoplaque assay also assessed the frequency of both total and parasite-specific Igproducing B cells. While the lymphocyte proliferation to mitogens and to a nonparasite antigen (Streptolysin-O, ISLO]) were similar in all groups of patients, the frequency of parasite-specific CD3+ T cells was significantly lower (geometric mean IGMI, 1/3,757) in MF patients when compared to that in CP patients (GM 1/1,513; P < 0.001). Similarly, the proportion of lymphocytes producing parasite-specific IgE or IgG was significantly lower in MF patients (IgE mean, 0.2%; IgG mean, 0.33%) compared with CP patients (IgE mean, 3.2%; IgG mean, 1.76%; P < 0.05 for both comparisons). These observations imply that low numbers of parasite-specific T and B lymphocytes may be partially responsible for the severely diminished capacity of lymphocytes from patients with MF to produce parasite-specific antibody and to proliferate to parasite antigen in vitro. Such differences in parasite-specific lymphocyte responses suggest that tolerance by clonal anergy may be a critical mechanism for maintaining the microfilaremic state. (J.

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To understand the molecular basis of parasite-specific anergy in human lymphatic filariasis caused by the nematode Wuchereria bancrofti, parasite antigen-dependent cellular proliferation and cytokine gene expression were investigated. By reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the levels of cytokine mRNA were determined in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of different clinical groups of filariasis patients. This includes individuals with circulating microfilariae (MF), patients with chronic lymphatic obstruction (CP), and exposed but uninfected individuals (EN). Those with CP exhibited both a Th2 and a Th1 parasite antigen-driven response. In PBMCs from those with MF, there was a marked downregulation of cellular response to parasite antigens, with lowered expression of Th1-specific cytokines (IFN-gamma and IL-2) and this was paralleled by increased IL-10 expression. The EN individuals had a purely Th1-type pattern with absence of IL-4 and IL-5 expression. Further, the mRNA expression of the costimulatory surface marker, CD80 (B7-1), was not associated with either disease status or IL-10 expression. There was a significant negative correlation between IL-10 mRNA expression and PBMC proliferation in the MF individuals, thus indicating the possible role of IL-10 in antigen-specific hyporesponsiveness.