This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Humphreys, N. E.
Right arrow Articles by Grencis, R. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Humphreys, N. E.
Right arrow Articles by Grencis, R. K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, September 2002, p. 5148-5157, Vol. 70, No. 9
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.9.5148-5157.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effects of Ageing on the Immunoregulation of Parasitic Infection

Neil E. Humphreys,{dagger} and Richard K. Grencis*

School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom

Received 29 January 2002/ Returned for modification 5 April 2002/ Accepted 2 May 2002

The plethora of changes associated with immunosenescence radically alters virtually all aspects of immune responsiveness. How this transformation effects resolution of an infectious challenge is addressed in this study. A well-established infection model was used; Trichuris muris, a cecum-dwelling helminth, is natural to mice, and infection in different strains results in clearly polarized responses. A dominating T helper 2 (Th2) response orchestrates immunity, whereas a Th1 response will result in susceptibility. Mice between 19 and 28 months old were more susceptible to infection, whereas 3-month-old mice of the same strain demonstrated the resistant phenotype. The cytokine response made by these aged mice was clearly altered at the site of infection, and within the local draining lymph nodes higher Th1 and lower Th2 cytokine levels were found, both at the protein and RNA level. Confirming these changes, aged mice also showed a delayed parasite-specific immunoglobulin G1 response and intestinal mastocytosis, both of which are driven by Th2 cytokines. To address possible causes of the observed immune deviation, purified CD4 cells from both young and aged mice were stimulated in vitro. Cells from aged mice did not respond to stimulation via CD28 and in vitro were less able to proliferate and polarize into Th2 cells; Th1 polarization was found to be normal. Together these data suggest that changes in cytokine phenotype, particularly CD4 cells, contribute to the observed age-associated switch from T. muris resistance to susceptibility.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: School of Biological Sciences, 3.239, Stopford Building, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 161 275 5238. Fax: 44 161 275 5640 E-mail: Richard.K.Grencis{at}man.ac.uk.

Editor: R. N. Moore

{dagger} Present address: H1.8, Syngenta CTL, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4TJ, United Kingdom.

Infection and Immunity, September 2002, p. 5148-5157, Vol. 70, No. 9
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.9.5148-5157.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Ujvari, B., Madsen, T. (2006). Age, parasites, and condition affect humoral immune response in tropical pythons. Behav Ecol 17: 20-24 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lithgow, G. J. (2003). Does Anti-Aging Equal Anti-Microbial?. Sci Aging Knowl Environ 2003: pe16-pe16 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»