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Infection and Immunity, April 2000, p. 2224-2230, Vol. 68, No. 4
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

gamma delta T Cells Are a Component of Early Immunity against Preerythrocytic Malaria Parasites

Kyle C. McKenna,1,dagger Moriya Tsuji,2 Marcella Sarzotti,1,Dagger John B. Sacci Jr.,1 Adam A. Witney,3 and Abdu F. Azad1,*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland 212011; Department of Medical and Molecular Parasitology, New York University Medical School, New York, New York 100102; and Malaria Program, Naval Medical Research Center, Rockville, Maryland 208523

Received 11 October 1999/Returned for modification 15 December 1999/Accepted 14 January 2000

We tested the hypothesis that gamma delta T cells are a component of an early immune response directed against preerythrocytic malaria parasites that are required for the induction of an effector alpha beta T-cell immune response generated by irradiated-sporozoite (irr-spz) immunization. gamma delta T-cell-deficient (TCRdelta -/-) mice on a C57BL/6 background were challenged with Plasmodium yoelii (17XNL strain) sporozoites, and then liver parasite burden was measured at 42 h postchallenge. Liver parasite burden was measured by quantification of parasite-specific 18S rRNA in total liver RNA by quantitative-competitive reverse transcription-PCR and by an automated 5' exonuclease PCR. Sporozoite-challenged TCRdelta -/- mice showed a significant (P < 0.01) increase in liver parasite burden compared to similarly challenged immunocompetent mice. In support of this result, TCRdelta -/- mice were also found to be more susceptible than immunocompetent mice to a sporozoite challenge when blood-stage parasitemia was used as a readout. A greater percentage of TCRdelta -/- mice than of immunocompetent mice progressed to a blood-stage infection when challenged with five or fewer sporozoites (odds ratio = 2.35, P = 0.06). TCRdelta -/- mice receiving a single irr-spz immunization showed percent inhibition of liver parasites comparable to that of immunized immunocompetent mice following a sporozoite challenge. These data support the hypothesis that gamma delta T cells are a component of early immunity directed against malaria preerythrocytic parasites and suggest that gamma delta T cells are not required for the induction of an effector alpha beta T-cell immune response generated by irr-spz immunization.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Maryland, Baltimore, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Bressler Research Building, Room 13-009, 655 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201. Phone: (410) 706-3335. Fax: (410) 706-0282. E-mail: aazad{at}umaryland.edu.

dagger Present address: Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.

Dagger Present address: Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.

Infection and Immunity, April 2000, p. 2224-2230, Vol. 68, No. 4
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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