Title | Tumor necrosis factor alpha is a key mediator in the regulation of experimental Trypanosoma brucei infections. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 1999 |
Authors | Magez, S., M. Radwanska, A. Beschin, K. Sekikawa, and P. De Baetselier |
Journal | Infect Immun |
Volume | 67 |
Issue | 6 |
Pagination | 3128-32 |
Date Published | 1999 Jun |
ISSN | 0019-9567 |
Keywords | Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Lipopolysaccharides, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Trypanosomiasis, African, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha |
Abstract | In order to evaluate during experimental Trypanosoma brucei infections the potential role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in the host-parasite interrelationship, C57BL/6 TNF-alpha knockout mice (TNF-alpha-/-) as well as C57BL/6 wild-type mice were infected with pleomorphic T. brucei AnTat 1.1 E parasites. In the TNF-alpha-/- mice, the peak levels of parasitemia were strongly increased compared to the peak levels recorded in wild-type mice. The increased parasite burden did not reflect differences in clearance efficacy or in production of T. brucei-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies. Trypanosome-mediated immunopathological features, such as lymph node-associated immunosuppression and lipopolysaccharide hypersensitivity, were found to be greatly reduced in infected TNF-alpha-/- mice. These results demonstrate that, during trypanosome infections, TNF-alpha is a key mediator involved in both parasitemia control and infection-associated pathology. |
Alternate Journal | Infect. Immun. |
PubMed ID | 10338530 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC96631 |
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