Open AccessPilot Study of Whole-Blood Gamma Interferon Response to the Vibrio cholerae Toxin B Subunit and Resistance to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli -Associated Diarrhea
Author(s) -
Jose Flores,
Herbert L. DuPont,
Mercedes ParedesParedes,
María Magdalena AguirreGarcía,
Araceli Rojas,
Alexei Gonzalez,
Pablo C. Okhuysen
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
clinical and vaccine immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.649
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1556-6811
pISSN - 1556-679X
DOI - 10.1128/cvi.00486-09
Subject(s) - enterotoxigenic escherichia coli , vibrio cholerae , cholera toxin , diarrhea , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , toxin , biology , protein subunit , escherichia coli , cholera , enterotoxin , immunology , virology , medicine , bacteria , biochemistry , genetics , gene
EnterotoxigenicEscherichia coli (ETEC), which produces heat-labile toxin (LT), is a common cause of travelers' diarrhea (TD). The B subunit of ETEC LT is immunologically related to the B subunit ofVibrio cholerae toxin (CT). In this pilot study we evaluated the whole-blood gamma interferon response to CT B in 17 U.S. adults traveling to Mexico. Only one of nine subjects who demonstrated a cellular immune response as determined by whole-blood gamma interferon production to CT B on arrival to Mexico developed diarrhea, whereas five of eight without a cellular response developed diarrhea. Markers of the cellular immune response to ETEC LT could help in identifying individuals immune to ETEC LT, and these markers deserve additional study.