Elias D, Akuffo H, Thors C, Pawlowski A, Britton S
Microbiology and Tumour Biology Centre, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Clin Exp Immunol. 2005 Mar;139(3):398-404. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2004.02719.x.
The incidence of mycobacterial diseases is high and the efficacy of Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) is low in most areas of the world where chronic worm infections are common. However, if and how concurrent worm infections could affect immunity to mycobacterial infections has not been elucidated. In this study we investigated whether infection of mice with Schistosoma mansoni could affect the ability of the animals to control Mycobacterium bovis BCG infection and the immune response to mycobacterial antigens. BALB/c mice subclinically infected with S. mansoni were challenged with M. bovis BCG via the intravenous route. The ability of the animals to contain the replication of M. bovis BCG in their organs, lung pathology as well as the in vitro mycobacterial and worm antigen induced immune responses were evaluated. The results showed that S. mansoni coinfected mice had significantly higher levels of BCG bacilli in their organs and sustained greater lung pathology compared to Schistosoma uninfected controls. Moreover, Schistosoma infected mice show depressed mycobacterial antigen specific Th1 type responses. This is an indication that chronic worm infection could affect resistance/susceptibility to mycobacterial infections by impairing mycobacteria antigen specific Th1 type responses. This finding is potentially important in the control of TB in helminth endemic parts of the world.
在世界上大多数慢性蠕虫感染常见的地区，分枝杆菌病的发病率很高，而卡介苗（BCG）的疗效很低。然而，同时存在的蠕虫感染是否以及如何影响对分枝杆菌感染的免疫力尚未阐明。在本研究中，我们调查了曼氏血吸虫感染小鼠是否会影响动物控制牛分枝杆菌卡介苗感染的能力以及对分枝杆菌抗原的免疫反应。将亚临床感染曼氏血吸虫的BALB/c小鼠通过静脉途径用牛分枝杆菌卡介苗进行攻击。评估了动物在其器官中抑制牛分枝杆菌卡介苗复制的能力、肺部病理学以及体外分枝杆菌和蠕虫抗原诱导的免疫反应。结果表明，与未感染血吸虫的对照组相比，同时感染曼氏血吸虫的小鼠器官中的卡介苗杆菌水平显著更高，肺部病理学损伤更严重。此外，感染血吸虫的小鼠表现出分枝杆菌抗原特异性Th1型反应受到抑制。这表明慢性蠕虫感染可能通过损害分枝杆菌抗原特异性Th1型反应来影响对分枝杆菌感染的抵抗力/易感性。这一发现对世界上蠕虫流行地区的结核病控制可能具有重要意义。
