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Infection and Immunity, August 1999, p. 4183-4190, Vol. 67, No. 8
Laboratoire d'Immunopathologie Cellulaire
des Maladies Infectieuses,
Received 15 January 1999/Returned for modification 12 March
1999/Accepted 18 May 1999
A single intradermal administration of recombinant interleukin-7
(IL-7) has been shown to aggravate the course of murine
schistosomiasis, to favor the development of Th2-associated antibodies
specific for the parasite, and to alter migration kinetics and/or
migratory route of the parasite within its vertebrate host. Here we
show that after infection of IL-7-deficient mice with Schistosoma
mansoni, the predominant parasite-specific humoral response
follows a Th1 pattern, and the development of the parasite is greatly
impaired. In IL-7-deficient mice, increased numbers of larvae reach the lungs and fewer larvae reach the liver, compared to control mice. In
the absence of IL-7, female worms show an altered fecundity, leading to
decreased numbers of eggs trapped in the tissues and to an amelioration
of the pathology of the infected host. The most striking observation is
the blockade of parasite growth in an IL-7-defective environment,
leading to dwarf male and female worms. The results of this study have
important implications for the role of IL-7 in the host-parasite
relationship and show how parasites can disable or evade the host
immune response.
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Infection of Mice Lacking Interleukin-7 (IL-7) Reveals an
Unexpected Role for IL-7 in the Development of the
Parasite Schistosoma mansoni
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratoire
d'Immunopathologie Cellulaire des Maladies Infectieuses, UMR 8527, Institut de Biologie, 1 rue du Pr. A. Calmette, BP 447, F-59021 Lille
Cedex, France. Phone: (33) 3 20 87 12 42. Fax: (33) 3 20 87 12 33. E-mail: Isabelle.Wolowczuk{at}pasteur-lille.fr.
Infection and Immunity, August 1999, p. 4183-4190, Vol. 67, No. 8
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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