Balamuthia mandrillaris is a causative agent of granulomatous amebic encephalitis, a rare but often fatal condition. To investigate the role of T helper (Th) cell subsets in the immune response against B. mandrillaris, we examined 3 mouse strains with distinct immunological profiles: C57BL/6 (Th1-dominant), BALB/c (Th2-dominant), and ICR (balanced Th1/Th2). Mice were infected intranasally with 1×105 amoebae. Body weight and neurologic symtoms were monitored weekly, and cytokine expression was assessed biweekly over 6 weeks. Minimal weight loss and no mortality were observed in C57BL/6 mice, whereas BALB/c and ICR mice exhibited significant early and delayed mortality, respectively. Interleukin-17A expression was notably elevated in C57BL/6 mice compared with the other strains. These findings indicate that a robust Th17 response, particularly interleukin-17A production, is a critical component of the host defense against B. mandrillaris infection.
In elderly patients, ocular toxoplasmosis is one of the most common etiologies of uveitis, which should be differentially diagnosed from ocular lymphoma, another common pathology of uveitis in older adults. The high level of interleukin (IL)-10 and an IL-10/IL-6 ratio higher than 1 (>1.0) are helpful parameters to diagnose ocular lymphoma. In this study, we used aqueous humor samples to detect 4 cases of ocular toxoplasmosis in patients with high levels of IL-10 and an IL-10/IL-6 ratio higher than 1. Our results show that ocular toxoplasmosis may be associated with increased cytokine levels in aqueous humor.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Toxoplasma gondii IST suppresses inflammatory and apoptotic responses by inhibiting STAT1-mediated signaling in IFN-γ/TNF-α-stimulated hepatocytes Seung-Hwan Seo, Ji-Eun Lee, Do-Won Ham, Eun-Hee Shin Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2024; 62(1): 30. CrossRef
Factors related to central nervous system involvement of primary vitreoretinal lymphoma Joo Young Kim, Jae Jung Kim, Rae Young Kim, Mirinae Kim, Young Gun Park, Young-Hoon Park Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.2024; 262(8): 2421. CrossRef
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are key players during an immune response at the mucosal surfaces, such as lung, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. Giardia lamblia is an extracellular protozoan pathogen that inhabits the human small intestine. In this study, ILCs prepared from the lamina propria of mouse small intestine were incubated with G. lamblia trophozoites. Transcriptional changes in G. lamblia-exposed ILCs resulted in identification of activation of several immune pathways. Secretion of interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F, IL-1β, and interferon-γ was increased, whereas levels of IL-13, IL-5, and IL22, was maintained or reduced upon exposure to G. lamblia. Goup 3 ILC (ILC3) was found to be dominant amongst the ILCs, and increased significantly upon co-cultivation with G. lamblia trophozoites. Oral inoculation of G. lamblia trophozoites into mice resulted in their presence in the small intestine, of which, the highest number of parasites was detected at the 5 days-post infection. Increased ILC3 was observed amongst the ILC population at the 5 days-post infection. These findings indicate that ILC3 from the lamina propria secretes IL-17 in response to G. lamblia, leading to the intestinal pathology observed in giardiasis.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Post-stroke depression: exploring gut microbiota-mediated barrier dysfunction through immune regulation Jia Jiang, Haihua Xie, Sihui Cao, Xuan Xu, Jingying Zhou, Qianyan Liu, Changsong Ding, Mi Liu Frontiers in Immunology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Giardia duodenalis stabilizes HIF-1α and induces glycolytic alterations in intestinal epithelial cells Emily DeMichele, Olivia Sosnowski, Darragh Flood, Cormac T. Taylor, Ian A. Lewis, Thibault Allain, Andre G. Buret Scientific Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Unravelling the cellular sources and location of IL-17A production during a Giardia infection Charlotte E. Van Crombrugge, Bregt Decorte, Leen J. M. Seys, Peter Geldhof Scientific Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Microbiota, metabolites and mucosal immunity as potential targets of traditional Chinese medicine for respiratory diseases based on the lung-gut crosstalk Wei Wang, Shaoqing Zhu, Yuanbin Zhang, Lin Chu, Siyao Liu, Huan Yang, Hao Wu Pharmacological Research - Modern Chinese Medicine.2024; 10: 100374. CrossRef
Conserved Candidate Antigens and Nanoparticles to Develop Vaccine against Giardia intestinalis Suthinee Sangkanu, Alok K. Paul, Julalak Chuprom, Watcharapong Mitsuwan, Rachasak Boonhok, Maria de Lourdes Pereira, Sonia Marlene Rodrigues Oliveira, Polrat Wilairatana, Mohammed Rahmatullah, Christophe Wiart, Muhammad Nawaz, Chea Sin, Sunil Kayesth, Vee Vaccines.2022; 11(1): 96. CrossRef
Probiotics in the management of Giardia duodenalis: an update on potential mechanisms and outcomes Nasrin Dashti, Mitra Zarebavani Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology.2021; 394(9): 1869. CrossRef
Type 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells as Regulators of the Host-Pathogen Interaction Ana Valle-Noguera, Anne Ochoa-Ramos, Maria José Gomez-Sánchez, Aranzazu Cruz-Adalia Frontiers in Immunology.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
The role of innate lymphoid cells in response to microbes at mucosal surfaces Goo-Young Seo, Daniel A. Giles, Mitchell Kronenberg Mucosal Immunology.2020; 13(3): 399. CrossRef
Physiological function and regulatory signal of intestinal type 3 innate lymphoid cell(s) Yin Xian, Xiaodong Lv, Minjia Xie, Fuyang Xiao, Chenyang Kong, Yixing Ren Life Sciences.2020; 262: 118504. CrossRef
Trichomonas vaginalis is a pathogen that triggers severe immune responses in hosts. T. vaginalis α-actinin 2, Tvα-actinin 2, has been used to diagnose trichomoniasis. This study was undertaken to examine the role of Tvα-actinin 2 as an antigenic molecule to induce immune responses from humans. Western blot analysis using anti-Tvα-actinin 2 antibodies indicated its presence in the secreted proteins of T. vaginalis. ELISA was employed to measure cytokine production by vaginal epithelial cells, prostate cells, mouse dendritic cells (DCs), or T cells stimulated with T. vaginalis or Tvα-actinin 2 protein. Both T. vaginalis and rTvα-actinin 2 induced cytokine production from epithelial cell lines, including IL-10. Moreover, CD4+CD25- regulatory T cells (Treg cells) incubated with rTvα-actinin 2-treated DCs produced high levels of IL-10. These data indicate that Tvα-actinin 2 modulates immune responses via IL-10 production by Treg cells.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Identification and Characterization of α-Actinin 1 of Histomonas meleagridis and Its Potential Vaccine Candidates against Histomonosis Dandan Liu, Chen Chen, Qiaoguang Chen, Shuang Wang, Zaifan Li, Jie Rong, Yuming Zhang, Zhaofeng Hou, Jianping Tao, Jinjun Xu Animals.2023; 13(14): 2330. CrossRef
Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering of secretory proteins for the cytotoxicity analysis of low‐dose doxorubicin Mengmeng Zheng, Siqi Gao, Yamin Lin, Yating Lin, Zufang Huang, Shusen Xie, Yun Yu, Juqiang Lin Journal of Raman Spectroscopy.2020; 51(11): 2217. CrossRef
Vasoactive intestinal peptide is required in the maintenance of immune regulatory competency of immune regulatory monocytes L Guan, D Yu, G-H Wu, H-J Ning, S-D He, S-S Li, T-Y Hu, G Yang, Z-Q Liu, H-Q Yu, X-Z Sun, Z-G Liu, P-C Yang Clinical and Experimental Immunology.2019; 196(2): 276. CrossRef
The effect of a secretory proteinase from the pathogenic amoebae Acanthamoeba castellanii on host's defense-oriented or regulatory proteins such as immunoglobulins, interleukin-1, and protease inhibitors was investigated. The enzyme was found to degrade secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), IgG, and IgM. It also degraded interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and IL-1β. Its activity was not inhibited by endogenous protease inhibitors, such as α2-macroglobulin, α1-trypsin inhibitor, and α2-antiplasmin. Furthermore, the enzyme rapidly degraded those endogenous protease inhibitors as well. The degradation of host's defense-oriented or regulatory proteins by the Acanthamoeba proteinase suggested that the enzyme might be an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba infection.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
A Synthetic View on Acanthamoeba Keratitis Host Immune Response: Potential Factors Influencing the Development of Chronic Inflammation Bianca Prado-Costa, Larissa Fagundes Pinto, Mariana Fernandes Fonseca, Denise de Freitas, Larissa Magalhães Alvarenga Cornea.2025; 44(1): 118. CrossRef
Biological characteristics and pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba Yuehua Wang, Linzhe Jiang, Yitong Zhao, Xiaohong Ju, Le Wang, Liang Jin, Ryan D. Fine, Mingguang Li Frontiers in Microbiology.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Genetic Background Affects the Mucosal Secretory IgA Levels, Parasite Burden, Lung Inflammation, and Mouse Susceptibility toAscaris suumInfection Luciana Maria Oliveira, Denise Silva Nogueira, Ricardo Marcelo Geraldi, Fernando Sérgio Barbosa, Chiara Cássia Oliveira Amorim, Ana Clara Gazzinelli-Guimarães, Nathália Maria Resende, Natália Pinheiro-Rosa, Lucas Rocha Kraemer, Matheus Silvério Mattos, Li Infection and Immunity.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Identification and characterization of a secreted M28 aminopeptidase protein in Acanthamoeba Jian-Ming Huang, Yao-Tsung Chang, Min-Hsiu Shih, Wei-Chen Lin, Fu-Chin Huang Parasitology Research.2019; 118(6): 1865. CrossRef
Acanthamoeba Keratitis: Current Status and Urgent Research Priorities Naveed Ahmed Khan, Ayaz Anwar, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui Current Medicinal Chemistry.2019; 26(30): 5711. CrossRef
Comparison of Proteins Secreted into Extracellular Space of Pathogenic and Non-pathogenic Acanthamoeba castellanii Eun-Kyung Moon, Hyun-Seo Choi, So-Min Park, Hyun-Hee Kong, Fu-Shi Quan The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2018; 56(6): 553. CrossRef
Human antimicrobial peptides in ocular surface defense Imran Mohammed, Dalia G. Said, Harminder S. Dua Progress in Retinal and Eye Research.2017; 61: 1. CrossRef
Evaluation of the immunodiagnostic potential of a recombinant surface protein domain fromAcanthamoeba castellanii ALEMAO G. CARPINTEYRO SÁNCHEZ, VERIDIANA GOMES VIRGINIO, VINICIUS JOSÉ MASCHIO, HENRIQUE BUNSELMEYER FERREIRA, MARILISE BRITTES ROTT Parasitology.2016; 143(12): 1656. CrossRef
An update onAcanthamoebakeratitis: diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, Naveed A. Khan, Julia Walochnik Parasite.2015; 22: 10. CrossRef
Pathological characteristics of the different stages of Acanthamoeba keratitis Yuzhao Sun, Jing Hong, Pei Zhang, Rongmei Peng, Gege Xiao Histopathology.2013; 63(6): 862. CrossRef
Biology and pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan Parasites & Vectors.2012;[Epub] CrossRef
Acanthamoeba castellanii: Morphological analysis of the interaction with human cornea Maritza Omaña-Molina, Arturo González-Robles, Lizbeth Iliana Salazar-Villatoro, Ana Ruth Cristóbal-Ramos, Mónica González-Lázaro, Edmundo Salinas-Moreno, Rene Méndez-Cruz, Manuel Sánchez-Cornejo, Enrique De la Torre-González, Adolfo Martínez-Palomo Experimental Parasitology.2010; 126(1): 73. CrossRef
Acanthamoeba culbertsoni
Elicits Soluble Factors That Exert Anti-Microglial Cell Activity
Jenica L. Harrison, Gabriela A. Ferreira, Erinn S. Raborn, Audrey D. Lafrenaye, Francine Marciano-Cabral, Guy A. Cabral Infection and Immunity.2010; 78(9): 4001. CrossRef
Differential effects of α-helical and β-hairpin antimicrobial peptides against Acanthamoeba castellanii R. S. SACRAMENTO, R. M. MARTINS, A. MIRANDA, A. S. S. DOBROFF, S. DAFFRE, A. S. FORONDA, D. DE FREITAS, S. SCHENKMAN Parasitology.2009; 136(8): 813. CrossRef
Detection of a serine proteinase gene in Acanthamoeba genotype T6 (Amoebozoa: Lobosea) Marion Blaschitz, Martina Köhsler, Horst Aspöck, Julia Walochnik Experimental Parasitology.2006; 114(1): 26. CrossRef
Acanthamoeba: biology and increasing importance in human health Naveed Ahmed Khan FEMS Microbiology Reviews.2006; 30(4): 564. CrossRef
Pathogenic free-living amoebae in Korea Ho-Joon Shin, Kyung-il Im The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2004; 42(3): 93. CrossRef
First
Prev
