Inhibitory Role of Antibodies in the Development of Taenia solium and Taenia crassiceps toward Reproductive and Pathogenic Stages

Abstract

Untreated Taenia solium cysticerci obtained from different naturally infected pigs vary notably in their capacity to develop into intestinal tapeworms in prednisolone-treated hamsters, whereas cells derived from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci after 2 mo of infection almost always develop to cysticerci in the peritoneal cavity of susceptible BALB/cAnN mice. Preincubation of whole cysticerci or parasite cells with mice immunoglobulins raised against an 18-mer peptide epitope (GK-1) common to both parasites significantly interferes with both transformations. These crippling effects of antiparasite antibodies suggest new forms of immunological interference with parasite biology other than simple killing. Antibodies that cripple biological functions of the parasite, e.g., their development to reproductive or pathogenic stages, make them important protagonists in taeniasis/cysticercosis disease as classic parasitocidal antibodies. Different serum levels of crippling antibodies in the infected pigs could be responsible for the varied ability of cysticerci to convert to tapeworms. Antigens capable of inducing crippling antibodies, e.g., GK-1, could be useful as a therapeutic vaccine for pigs in order to reduce parasite transmission.

CD4+ and CD19+ splenocytes undergo apoptosis during an experimental murine infection with Taenia crassiceps

“…It is important to 2 and 3) and 6 h (lanes 4-7) following in vitro stimulation. In addition, antibodies against GK1, a protective epitope from T. crassiceps, have been found to affect cysticercal viability (Garcı´a et al 2001), a finding that also strengthens the relevance of antibodies in the infection. Caspase dependent cleavage of PARP in UV-irradiated HeLa cells (+UV) were used as a control (lane 1).…”

Two Epitopes Shared by Taenia crassiceps and Taenia solium Confer Protection against Murine T. crassiceps Cysticercosis along with a Prominent T1 Response

“…Despite the low levels of specific antibodies induced by both peptides, their possible protective role cannot be excluded. This is of particular relevance considering the recent finding of the capacity of anti-GK1 antibodies to block T. solium cysticercus conversion to tapeworms (5). The fact that more than 50% of human neurocysticercosis patients make antibodies against KETc1 and KETc12 (8) strengthens our interest in these two epitopes.…”

Vaccines Against Cysticercosis

“…It has been argued that vaccine-Abs may destroy T. solium oncospheres by fixing complement [55,79] but the vulnerability of these early larval phases of the parasite has not been explored yet. Later on, it was observed that vaccination of mice and pigs with a parasite epitope (GK1) induces the synthesis of antibodies that are capable of interfering with the cysticerci transformation into tapeworms in the intestines of hamsters [72,80]. It is argued that an exacerbated inflammatory response may also damage the larval stage of the parasite and/or interfere with the establishment of the cysticerci.…”