       Document 0080
 DOCN  M9640080
 TI    Pregnancy impairs resistance of C57BL/6 mice to Leishmania major
       infection and causes decreased antigen-specific IFN-gamma response and
       increased production of T helper 2 cytokines.
 DT    9604
 AU    Krishnan L; Guilbert LJ; Russell AS; Wegmann TG; Mosmann TR; Belosevic
       M; Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of;
       Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
 SO    J Immunol. 1996 Jan 15;156(2):644-52. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96132991
 AB    Resolution of cutaneous leishmaniasis in infected mice is associated
       with a polarized Th1 immune response by the host, whereas maternal
       immune responses during pregnancy appear to be biased toward humoral
       (Th2) and away from cell-mediated (Th1) responses. The objective of this
       study was to evaluate whether the putative Th2 bias in pregnant C57BL/6
       mice would impair their normal ability to mount a curative Th1 response
       against Leishmania major infection. Pregnant C57BL/6 mice developed
       larger cutaneous lesions that showed no signs of resolution up to 70
       days after infection. The infection appeared to be contained but not
       cured, as the footpad lesion remained stable, neither decreasing (as in
       normal C57BL/6 mice) nor showing uncontrolled expansion leading to death
       (as in susceptible mouse strains such as BALB/c). The number of
       parasites harvested from the footpads of pregnant mice was markedly
       higher than controls throughout the course of infection. The increased
       severity of infection in pregnant mice was accompanied by reduced
       IFN-gamma and increased IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 production by spleen and
       popliteal lymph node cells stimulated in vitro with Leishmania Ags.
       Furthermore, IgG1 was elevated in the serum of pregnant mice as opposed
       to an increase of IgG2a in infected but nonpregnant controls. These
       observations support the existence of a bias toward Th2 cytokine
       expression during pregnancy and suggest that these cytokines effectively
       down-regulate the course of a normal Th1 response against a parasite
       infection in the periphery.
 DE    Animal  Antigens, Protozoan/*IMMUNOLOGY  Comparative Study  Disease
       Susceptibility/GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY  Female  IgG/BLOOD  Interferon Type
       II/*SECRETION  Interleukins/*SECRETION  Leishmania major/*IMMUNOLOGY
       Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous/*IMMUNOLOGY  Male  Mice  Mice, Inbred BALB C
       Mice, Inbred C57BL/IMMUNOLOGY/*PARASITOLOGY  Pregnancy  Pregnancy
       Complications, Parasitic/*IMMUNOLOGY  Species Specificity  Specific
       Pathogen-Free Organisms  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Th1 Cells/*IMMUNOLOGY
       Th2 Cells/*SECRETION  Tumor Necrosis Factor/SECRETION  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

