Bungiro R D, Sun T, Harrison L M, Shoemaker C B, Cappello M
Program in International Child Health, Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Parasite Immunol. 2008 May;30(5):293-303. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2008.01023.x. Epub 2008 Feb 28.
Hookworms are bloodfeeding nematodes that reside in the intestinal mucosa. These parasites secrete proteins that induce robust systemic immune responses in humans and experimental animals. By contrast, mucosal immune responses in and around the site of attachment are not described as well. This paper presents data from studies aimed at examining hookworm-specific mucosal antibody responses in a hamster model of Ancylostoma ceylanicum infection. Intestinal flush prepared from infected hamsters was analysed by ELISA and shown to be enriched in IgA-specific for A. ceylanicum excretory-secretory (ES) products. Evaluation of mucosal IgA responses by immunoblot demonstrated that infected hamsters recognized a broad range of ES proteins. Hamsters repeatedly exposed to drug-terminated infections were shown to have enhanced serum IgG and mucosal IgA responses, as well as a high level of protection from challenge infection. Parasite-specific IgA was also detected in the faeces of hamsters undergoing a primary infection, and increasing faecal IgA responses were coincident with significant reductions in intestinal worm burdens and faecal ES output over time. Together these results suggest that secretory IgA may act in concert with other components of the mucosal and systemic immune response to promote protective immunity against hookworm infection and/or disease.
钩虫是寄生于肠黏膜的吸血线虫。这些寄生虫分泌的蛋白质可在人类和实验动物中引发强烈的全身免疫反应。相比之下，关于附着部位及其周围的黏膜免疫反应的描述则较少。本文展示了旨在研究锡兰钩虫感染仓鼠模型中钩虫特异性黏膜抗体反应的研究数据。通过酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）分析感染仓鼠的肠道冲洗液，结果显示其中富含针对锡兰钩虫排泄分泌（ES）产物的IgA。通过免疫印迹评估黏膜IgA反应表明，感染仓鼠能识别多种ES蛋白。多次暴露于药物终止感染的仓鼠表现出血清IgG和黏膜IgA反应增强，以及对攻击感染的高度保护。在初次感染的仓鼠粪便中也检测到了寄生虫特异性IgA，随着时间的推移，粪便中IgA反应的增加与肠道蠕虫负担和粪便ES产量的显著降低相一致。这些结果共同表明，分泌型IgA可能与黏膜和全身免疫反应的其他成分协同作用，以促进针对钩虫感染和/或疾病的保护性免疫。
