Back to Search
Start Over
Ivermectin-facilitated immunity in onchocerciasis. Reversal of lymphocytopenia, cellular anergy and deficient cytokine production after single treatment.
- Source :
-
Clinical and experimental immunology [Clin Exp Immunol] 1992 Sep; Vol. 89 (3), pp. 407-13. - Publication Year :
- 1992
-
Abstract
- A longitudinal investigation has been conducted into the cell-mediated immune responses of onchocerciasis patients after a single-dose treatment with ivermectin. Untreated patients tested for delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (DCH) to seven recall antigens showed lower responses than infection-free control individuals (P less than 0.01), but 6 and 14 months after treatment DCH reactions increased to similar levels to those seen in the controls. The in vitro cellular reactivity to Onchocerca volvulus-derived antigen (OvAg) was reduced in untreated patients as compared with controls, and the lymphocyte blastogenic responses to OvAg and streptolysin-O clearly improved up to 14 months after treatment. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from untreated patients produced IL-1 beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-6 in response to mitogenic stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), only low levels of IL-1 beta, IL-2 and TNF-alpha in response to OvAg, but higher amounts of IL-4 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in response to OvAg than control individuals. After ivermectin treatment, the OvAg-induced production of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha increased significantly 1 and 14 months after treatment. The PHA-induced production of IL-2 and IL-4 increased 1 month after treatment and remained significantly elevated until 14 months after treatment, whereas the OvAg-specific secretion of IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-gamma did not change after ivermectin treatment. Flow cytometric analysis of lymphocyte-subsets in the peripheral blood of untreated patients revealed a relative and absolute (P less than 0.01) diminution of CD4+ cells and a significantly smaller CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio as compared with controls. By 4 weeks after treatment and thereafter, CD4+ T cells increased relatively and absolutely (P less than 0.01); likewise there was an absolute increase in T-helper-inducer cells (CD4+CD45RO+) and a temporarily improved CD4+/CD8+ cell ratio (P = 0.001). The expression of the low-affinity receptor for IgE (CD23) on total lymphocytes decreased from 14% to 7% by 14 months after treatment. The CD8+ cells and CD3+TCR gamma delta + cells were higher in patients than in controls and both remained elevated until 14 months after treatment. These results suggest a distinctly improved cellular immunity in human onchocerciasis that was facilitated by ivermectin therapy.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Bacterial Proteins
Cytokines metabolism
Dermatitis immunology
Eosinophilia drug therapy
Female
Humans
Hypersensitivity, Delayed immunology
Immunity, Cellular drug effects
Ivermectin therapeutic use
Leukocyte Count drug effects
Lymphocyte Subsets cytology
Lymphocyte Subsets drug effects
Male
Microfilariae
Parasite Egg Count
Phenotype
Phytohemagglutinins
Statistics as Topic
Streptolysins pharmacology
Ivermectin pharmacology
Onchocerciasis immunology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0009-9104
- Volume :
- 89
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Clinical and experimental immunology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 1516257
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2249.1992.tb06971.x