Characterization of the immune response induced by a carbohydrate enriched fraction from Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces in patients with cystic hydatid disease

Abstract

The serological and cellular immune response against a carbohydrate-enriched fraction of Echinococcus granulosus (E4+) was studied in a group of patients with cystic hydatid disease (CHD). The profile of IgG subclass against E4+ and the native non-enriched extract (protoscolex somatic antigen, PSA) were compared. A relatively higher ratio of IgG2:IgG4 was induced by E4+ than by PSA (12.4 vs 3.6 respectively). Serological data were associated with clinical parameters dealing with the outcome of disease. The expression of IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses against both of the antigens was associated with the progression of the disease. Interestingly, anti-PSA IgG4 was the only variable that was specifically associated with the stage of cysts (P < 0.04). Similar levels of IL-13 were evoked by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with CHD when incubated with either of the antigens, while higher levels of IL-10 were obtained in supernatants from cells stimulated with E4+ (P < 0.029) than from those stimulated by PSA. Considerable amounts of IL-10 (median 60 pg/ml) were obtained in the supernatants of cells from healthy individuals incubated with E4+. Our results suggest a putative role for E4+ in immunoregulation during the course of infection with E. granulosus in humans.

Complexity and function of cytokine responses in experimental infection by Echinococcus granulosus

“…More interestingly, E4+ induces high levels of IL-10 in vitro in naive peritoneal cells (Dematteis et al, 2001). Furthermore, Cardozo et al (2002) demonstrated that E4+ is immunogenic also in humans. The stimulation with E4+ of PBMC cultures from healthy donors as well as from patients with cystic hydatid disease evoked the production of higher levels of IL-10 than with the crude extract.…”

Isolation and Characterization of a Secretory Component ofEchinococcus multilocularisMetacestodes Potentially Involved in Modulating the Host-Parasite Interface

“…ϩ is defined through immunoreactivity with the monoclonal antibody (MAb) E492/G1, and more-recent studies on the immune response in humans have suggested a possible role for E4 ϩ during the course of infection with E. granulosus (7).…”

Effects of protoscoleces and AgB from Echinococcus granulosus on human neutrophils: possible implications on the parasite’s immune evasion mechanisms

“…In humans, specific immune response against somatic and/or secreted components of PSC has been reported during chronic disease (Sterla et al 1999;Cardozo et al 2002;Virginio et al 2003;Lorenzo et al 2005). AgB represents a major antigenic component secreted by germinal membrane and PSC (Sanchez et al 1991), which is present in large quantities in the hydatid fluid of fertile cysts (Mamuti et al 2006), but the current knowledge on its biological roles is limited.…”