Didier E S, Shadduck J A
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
Lab Anim Sci. 1988 Dec;38(6):680-4.
Spleen cell blastogenesis to mitogens and antibody responses to sheep erythrocytes (sRBC) were tested in BALB/c mice with experimental E. cuniculi infections. Blastogenesis responses of spleen cells 1 week post-infection were significantly lower than normal to T-cell mitogens (Con A and PHA) and were unchanged in response to B-cell mitogens (LPS and PWM). After 2 weeks post-infection, the responses to T cell mitogens returned to normal. Mixing spleen cells from 1-week infected mice with cells from uninfected mice failed to reveal the presence of suppressor cells. Antibody responses to sRBC were significantly slower to develop in 1 week-infected mice compared with uninfected mice or mice infected 2 weeks earlier or at the same time as sRBC challenge. Infected mice displayed splenomegaly which was most pronounced 1 week post-infection and the differential spleen cell counts revealed the presence of lymphoblasts. Lymphohyperplasia appeared to cause the splenomegaly. No shifts in the proportion of Thy 1.2+ T cells, Ig+ B cells, or esterase-positive macrophages were detected. These results indicate that the immune system in BALB/c mice is depressed early during E. cuniculi infections.
在感染实验性兔艾美耳球虫的BALB/c小鼠中，检测了脾细胞对丝裂原的增殖反应以及对绵羊红细胞（sRBC）的抗体反应。感染后1周，脾细胞对T细胞丝裂原（刀豆蛋白A和植物血凝素）的增殖反应显著低于正常水平，而对B细胞丝裂原（脂多糖和美洲商陆有丝分裂原）的反应没有变化。感染后2周，对T细胞丝裂原的反应恢复正常。将感染1周小鼠的脾细胞与未感染小鼠的细胞混合，未发现抑制细胞的存在。与未感染小鼠、感染2周前或与sRBC攻击同时感染的小鼠相比，感染1周的小鼠对sRBC的抗体反应明显延迟。感染小鼠出现脾肿大，在感染后1周最为明显，脾细胞分类计数显示有淋巴母细胞存在。淋巴细胞增生似乎导致了脾肿大。未检测到Thy 1.2+ T细胞、Ig+ B细胞或酯酶阳性巨噬细胞比例的变化。这些结果表明，BALB/c小鼠的免疫系统在兔艾美耳球虫感染早期受到抑制。
