Open AccessEarly production of IL‐17 protects against acute pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in mice
Author(s) -
Liu Jialin,
Feng Yun,
Yang Kun,
Li Qingyun,
Ye Liang,
Han Lizhong,
Wan Huanying
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2010.00764.x
Subject(s) - pseudomonas aeruginosa , bronchoalveolar lavage , biology , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , pathogenesis , lung , immune system , interleukin , interleukin 17 , cytokine , bacteria , medicine , genetics
Interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) is involved in protection against extracellular bacteria. However, IL‐17 is likely to be deleterious to a host with chronic pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. The role of IL‐17 during acute pulmonary P. aeruginosa infection remains unknown. Here, we evaluated the role that IL‐17 plays in acute pulmonary P. aeruginosa infection and the source of the interleukin. The production of IL‐17 increased rapidly after acute pulmonary P. aeruginosa infection in mice. We subsequently examined the role of IL‐17 in acute infection and found 100 times more bacteria in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice treated with an IL‐17‐neutralizing antibody compared with the IgG 2a ‐treated mice after 16 h of infection. The main infiltrating cells in the anti‐IL‐17‐treated mice were lymphocytes rather than neutrophils. Consistently, more tissue damage and pathological changes in the lung were observed in the anti‐IL‐17‐treated mice. We also found that Th17 cells are one of the sources of IL‐17. We conclude that the early production of IL‐17 plays a protective role during acute pulmonary P. aeruginosa infection in mice and that Th17 cells are one of the sources of IL‐17 during acute pulmonary P. aeruginosa infection. Altogether, IL‐17 and Th17 cells contribute to the pathogenesis of acute pulmonary P. aeruginosa infection in vivo .