Individual immunity and susceptibility to female genital tract infection

The responses to genital tract infection vary among different women to a far greater extent than has previously been appreciated. All women are not genetically identical and have not been exposed to identical environments; therefore it is naive to expect that a particular microorganism will elicit the identical response and have the identical sequelae for each infected individual. The genes inherited from one's parents, which contain specific polymorphisms in immune response genes, greatly influence the direction and magnitude of the immune response to microorganisms. Similarly, extrinsic variables, such as the type or quantity of a specific infection, whether there is a coinfection with another microorganism, such as an intracellular parasite, and whether an immediate hypersensitivity response is concurrently induced also determine the nature of the host response and thus the consequences of microbial exposure. Finally, factors such as the frequency of sexual intercourse and previous immune sensitization to spermatozoa or other components of a particular ejaculate also influence the outcome. An increased awareness of the uniqueness of each host will lead to the development of more precise individualized treatments and improvements in combating infectious diseases of the female genital tract.

Associations between HLA and immune responses in individuals with chronic schistosomiasis japonica

The association of an HLA specificity with low or high immune responsiveness to Schistosoma japonicum antigen (Sj) was demonstrated among individuals who had previously been exposed to S. japonicum infection. The frequency of HLA-Aw24 specificity among low responders in the IgG antibody response determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was higher than that among high responders. Significant association between HLA-B7 and high responsiveness was observed in the IgE antibody response. The frequency of HLA-Bw52-Dw12 was also found to increase among individuals with higher levels of total serum IgE. These results suggest that antibody responses to Sj are regulated by an immune response (Ir) gene(s) linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), although a possibility of the presence of non-MHC-linked Ir genes is not excluded. Serum IgE levels may also be controlled by a gene(s) linked to the MHC.

Polyclonal IgE increase after HgCl2 injections in BN and LEW rats: a genetic analysis

An autoimmune disease and a dramatic increase in total serum IgE concentration are observed in BN rats that are chronically injected with HgCl2. In contrast, LEW rats do not develop the characteristic glomerulonephritis and are very "low IgE responders". In this study, we examined the genetic control of total serum IgE increase after HgCl2 injection in F1 and F2 hybrids, in both backcrosses between LEW and BN rats, and in LEW.1N congenic rats. Genetic analysis was performed using peak IgE concentrations expressed as log microgram/ml. A high IgE phenotype was found to be dominant. Eighty-five percent of F2 variance was due to genetic factors (VG) while only 15% of this variance was caused by environmental factors (VE). From observations in F2 hybrids and backcrosses, estimations of additive variance (VA) and dominance variance (VD) were made following three different methods. Genetic control by about four loci is demonstrated. One of these genes is RT1-linked. This gene contributes to 25% of the phenotypic difference observed between BN and LEW rats. No correlation was found between the peak total IgE level and autoimmune disease based on IgG deposition in spleen and/or kidney.