Open AccessDichotomy of the human T cell response to Leishmania antigens. II. Absent or Th2‐like response to gp63 and Thl‐like response to lipophosphoglycan‐ associated protein in cells from cured visceral leishmaniasis patients
Author(s) -
KURTZHALS J. A. L.,
HEY A. S.,
JARDIM A.,
KEMP M.,
SCHAEFER K.U.,
ODERA E. O.,
CHRISTENSEN C. B. V.,
GITHURE J. I.,
OLAFSON R. W.,
THEANDER T. G.,
KHARAZMI A.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1994.tb06044.x
Subject(s) - lipophosphoglycan , immunology , antigen , leishmania , antibody response , biology , leishmaniasis , leishmania donovani , parasite hosting , visceral leishmaniasis , world wide web , computer science
SUMMARY The T cell response to different Leishmania donovani aniigens was investigated using peripheral blood mononuciear cells (PBMC) from Kenyans cured of visceral leishmaniasis and non‐exposed Danes. Crude promastigote and amastigote antigens both induced proliferation and interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) production in PBMC from cured patients, while cells from non‐exposed donors gave weak responses. A similar pattern was indticed by lipophosphoglycan‐associated protein (LPGAP). By contrast, the major surface protease of Leishmania. gp63, induced only a weak proliferative response without IFN‐γ production in five of 17 samples from cured patients. Four of the five responding cultures produced IL‐4, i.e. the response to this antigen was of the Th2 type. Furthermore, sera from acutely ill visceral leishmaniasis patients contained high levels of IgG antibodies to gp63. The Th2‐tike response to gp63 in patients cured of visceral leishmaniasis differs from the Thl‐like response to the same antigen observed in patients cured of cutaneous leishmaniasis.