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Infection and Immunity, November 1999, p. 5559-5566, Vol. 67, No. 11
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Control of Leishmania infantum Infection Is Associated with CD8+ and Gamma Interferon- and Interleukin-5-Producing CD4+ Antigen-Specific T Cells

Charles Mary,* Valérie Auriault, Bernard Faugère, and Alain J. Dessein

Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U 399, Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France

Received 22 March 1999/Returned for modification 18 May 1999/Accepted 12 August 1999

Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe and lethal disease caused by the protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. In areas where leishmaniasis is endemic, most infected individuals control the infection and remain asymptomatic; chemotherapy of visceral leishmaniasis restores some immunity which protects against relapses. In the present study, Leishmania-specific T-cell clones were established from six asymptomatic and five cured patients. Cytokines production by these clones was analyzed. A large fraction of the parasite-specific T-cell clones from asymptomatic patients were CD8+ and produced high amounts of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma ). Most CD4+ T-cell clones from two asymptomatic subjects exhibited an unusual phenotype: production of high levels of IFN-gamma low levels of interleukin-4, (IL-4), but high levels of IL-5. In contrast, only few parasite-specific CD8+ T-cell clones were obtained from cured patients after chemotherapy; moreover, CD4+ T-cell clones from these patients exhibited an heterogeneous profile of cytokines from Th1-like to Th2-like phenotypes. These results point to CD8+ T cells and to IL-5- and IFN-gamma -producing CD4+ T cells as possible contributors to human resistance to Leishmania infection. They should stimulate new immunological approaches in the control of this disease.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U 399, Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Blvd. Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 5, France. Phone: 33-4-91-32-44-55. Fax: 33-4-91-79-60-63. E-mail: charles.mary{at}medecine.univ-mrs.fr.

Infection and Immunity, November 1999, p. 5559-5566, Vol. 67, No. 11
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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