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Infection and Immunity, August 2001, p. 4709-4718, Vol. 69, No. 8
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.8.4709-4718.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Malnutrition Alters the Innate Immune Response and Increases Early Visceralization following Leishmania donovani Infection

Gregory M. Anstead,1,2 Bysani Chandrasekar,2 Weiguo Zhao,1,2 Jue Yang,1,2 Luis E. Perez,1,2 and Peter C. Melby1,2,3,*

Medical Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System,1 and Departments of Medicine,2 and Microbiology,3 University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900

Received 4 January 2001/Returned for modification 19 February 2001/Accepted 29 April 2001

Malnutrition is a risk factor for the development of visceral leishmaniasis. However, the immunological basis for this susceptibility is unknown. We have developed a mouse model to study the effect of malnutrition on innate immunity and early visceralization following Leishmania donovani infection. Three deficient diets were studied, including 6, 3, or 1% protein; these diets were also deficient in iron, zinc, and calories. The control diet contained 17% protein, was zinc and iron sufficient, and was provided ab libitum. Three days after infection with L. donovani promastigotes, the total extradermal (lymph nodes, liver, and spleen) and skin parasite burdens were equivalent in the malnourished (3% protein) and control mice, but in the malnourished group, a greater percentage (39.8 and 4.0%, respectively; P = 0.009) of the extradermal parasite burden was contained in the spleen and liver. The comparable levels of parasites in the footpads in the two diet groups and the higher lymph node parasite burdens in the well-nourished mice indicated that the higher visceral parasite burdens in the malnourished mice were not due to a deficit in local parasite killing but to a failure of lymph node barrier function. Lymph node cells from the malnourished, infected mice produced increased levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and decreased levels of interleukin-10. Inducible nitric oxide synthase activity was significantly lower in the spleen and liver of the malnourished mice. Thus, malnutrition causes a failure of lymph node barrier function after L. donovani infection, which may be related to excessive production of PGE2 and decreased levels of IL-10 and nitric oxide.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., Mailcode 7881, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900. Phone: (210) 567-4614. Fax: (210) 567-4670. E-mail: melby{at}uthscsa.edu.

Infection and Immunity, August 2001, p. 4709-4718, Vol. 69, No. 8
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.8.4709-4718.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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