Instanes Christine, Ward Marsha D W, Hetland Geir
Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Environmental Medicine, P.O. Box 4404 Nydalen, Oslo 0403, Norway.
Toxicol Lett. 2006 Mar 1;161(3):219-25. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2005.09.006. Epub 2005 Oct 10.
The parasitic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae, is non-pathogenic to humans and licensed for indoor control of cockroach infestation. An important reason for the elimination of this vermin is that sensitisation to cockroaches is associated with asthma. Previously M. anisopliae has been shown to cause allergic- and asthma-like responses in mice and in the present study we have examined the adjuvant activity of M. anisopliae on the allergic response to the model allergen ovalbumin (OVA) in a mouse model. Levels of OVA-specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a in serum were measured and the weight and cell number of the excised popliteal lymph node were determined. Mice primed with mycelium+OVA and boosted with OVA had increased anti-OVA IgE and IgG1 levels compared with mice primed with OVA alone or mycelium. Priming with M. anisopliae (as mycelium or MACA) increased weight or cell number of the excised PLNs. These results suggest that M. anisopliae has the ability to increase an allergic response to an allergen and consequently, may worsen allergy in susceptible individuals.
寄生真菌绿僵菌对人类无致病性，已获许可用于室内蟑螂防治。消灭这种害虫的一个重要原因是对蟑螂过敏与哮喘有关。此前已证明绿僵菌会在小鼠体内引发类似过敏和哮喘的反应，在本研究中，我们检测了绿僵菌对小鼠模型中针对模型变应原卵清蛋白（OVA）的过敏反应的佐剂活性。测定了血清中OVA特异性IgE、IgG1和IgG2a的水平，并确定了切除的腘窝淋巴结的重量和细胞数量。与单独用OVA或菌丝体致敏的小鼠相比，先用菌丝体+OVA致敏并用OVA加强免疫的小鼠的抗OVA IgE和IgG1水平有所升高。用绿僵菌（作为菌丝体或MACA）致敏会增加切除的腘窝淋巴结的重量或细胞数量。这些结果表明，绿僵菌有能力增强对变应原的过敏反应，因此可能会使易感个体的过敏症状加重。
