1
|
Inoue K, Takashima Y, Hirano S, Kimura K. Granulomatous pneumonia in a cow infected with Toxoplasma gondii. Parasitol Int 2024; 101:102870. [PMID: 38403047 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2024.102870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
We report a confirmed case of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the lungs of a cow exhibiting respiratory symptoms. At slaughter, white nodules were discovered in lung tissue, accompanied by enlarged hilar lymph nodes. Histological examination revealed the disappearance of alveolar structures in nodular areas, replaced by granulomas containing inflammatory cells. Immunohistochemical staining with anti-T. gondii antibody and nucleotide sequencing of 18S rDNA confirmed T. gondii infection. However, the link between T. gondii and observed symptoms remains unclear. Various factors, including host genetics, underlying diseases, infection route, and exposure level, may contribute to these uncommon symptoms. Although T. gondii infections in cattle are traditionally considered asymptomatic, our study suggests the possible existence of clinical symptoms associated with Toxoplasma infection. Beef cattle are generally not assumed to be a relevant source of human T. gondii infection; however, sporadic transmission by infected edible beef to humans cannot be completely excluded and deserves further studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ken Inoue
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan; Laboratory of Nematology, Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University, Saga, Japan.
| | - Yasuhiro Takashima
- Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, University of Gifu, Gifu, Japan; Center for One Medicine Innovative Translational Research (COMIT), Gifu University, Japan
| | - Shinji Hirano
- Transboundary Animal Diseases Research Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Kumiko Kimura
- Pathology and Production Disease Group, Division of Hygiene Management Research, National Institute of Animal Health, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Oliveira BM, Sidónio B, Correia A, Pinto A, Azevedo MM, Sampaio P, Ferreira PG, Vilanova M, Teixeira L. Cytokine production by bovine adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction cells upon Neospora caninum stimulation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8444. [PMID: 38600105 PMCID: PMC11006870 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58885-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
In bovines few studies addressed the contribution of adipose tissue to the host immune response to infection. Here we evaluated the in vitro response of bovine adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells to the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum, using live and freeze-killed tachyzoites. Live N. caninum induced the production of IL-6, IL-1β and IL-10 by SVF cells isolated from subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), while in mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) SVF cell cultures only IL-1β and IL-10 production was increased, showing slight distinct responses between adipose tissue depots. Whereas a clear IL-8 increase was detected in peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL) culture supernatants in response to live N. caninum, no such increase was observed in SAT or MAT SVF cell cultures. Nevertheless, in response to LPS, increased IL-8 levels were detected in all cell cultures. IL-10 levels were always increased in response to stimulation (live, freeze-killed N. caninum and LPS). Overall, our results show that bovine adipose tissue SVF cells produce cytokines in response to N. caninum and can therefore be putative contributors to the host immune response against this parasite.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara M Oliveira
- UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- ITR-Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, 4050-290, Porto, Portugal
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Beatriz Sidónio
- UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- ITR-Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, 4050-290, Porto, Portugal
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Correia
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Pinto
- UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- ITR-Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, 4050-290, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria M Azevedo
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Sampaio
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula G Ferreira
- UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- ITR-Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, 4050-290, Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Vilanova
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Luzia Teixeira
- UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS-Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
- ITR-Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, 4050-290, Porto, Portugal.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rico-San Román L, Amieva R, Horcajo P, García-Sánchez M, Pastor-Fernández I, Ortega-Mora LM, Collantes-Fernández E. Characterization of Neospora caninum virulence factors NcGRA7 and NcROP40 in bovine target cells. Vet Parasitol 2023; 320:109973. [PMID: 37356132 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.109973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Bovine neosporosis is one of the major causes of reproductive failure in cattle worldwide, and differences in virulence between isolates have been widely shown. However, the molecular basis and mechanisms underlying virulence in Neospora caninum are mostly unknown. Recently, we demonstrated the involvement of NcGRA7 and NcROP40 in the virulence of N. caninum in a pregnant murine model using single knockout mutants in these genes generated by CRISR/Cas9 technology. In this study, the role of these proteins was investigated in two in vitro models using bovine target cells: trophoblast (F3 cell line) and monocyte-derived macrophages (BoMØ). The proliferation capacity of the single knockout mutant parasites was compared to the wild-type strain, the Nc-Spain7 isolate, using both cell populations. For the bovine trophoblast, no differences were observed in the growth of the defective parasites compared to the wild-type strain, neither in the proliferation kinetics nor in the competition assay. However, in naïve BoMØ, a significant decrease in the proliferation capacity of the mutant parasites was observed from 48 h pi onwards. Stimulation of BoMØ with IFN-γ showed a similar inhibition of tachyzoite growth in defective and wild-type strains in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, BoMØ infected with knockout parasites showed higher expression levels of TLR3, which is involved in pathogen recognition. These results suggest that NcGRA7 and NcROP40 may be involved in the manipulation of innate immune defense mechanisms against neosporosis and confirm the usefulness of the BoMØ model for the evaluation of N. caninum virulence mechanisms. However, the specific functions of these proteins remain unknown, opening the way for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rico-San Román
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Amieva
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Horcajo
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Marta García-Sánchez
- SALUVET-Innova S.L., Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Iván Pastor-Fernández
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Miguel Ortega-Mora
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther Collantes-Fernández
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhao SS, Tao DL, Chen JM, Wu JP, Yang X, Song JK, Zhu XQ, Zhao GH. RNA sequencing reveals dynamic expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs in caprine endometrial epithelial cells induced by Neospora caninum infection. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:297. [PMID: 35999576 PMCID: PMC9398501 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05405-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The effective transmission mode of Neospora caninum, with infection leading to reproductive failure in ruminants, is vertical transmission. The uterus is an important reproductive organ that forms the maternal–fetal interface. Neospora caninum can successfully invade and proliferate in the uterus, but the molecular mechanisms underlying epithelial-pathogen interactions remain unclear. Accumulating evidence suggests that host long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in cellular molecular regulatory networks, with reports that these RNA molecules are closely related to the pathogenesis of apicomplexan parasites. However, the expression profiles of host lncRNAs during N. caninum infection has not been reported. Methods RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis was used to investigate the expression profiles of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and lncRNAs in caprine endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) infected with N. caninum for 24 h (TZ_24h) and 48 h (TZ_48 h), and the potential functions of differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs were predicted by using Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of their mRNA targets. Results RNA-seq analysis identified 1280.15 M clean reads in 12 RNA samples, including six samples infected with N. caninum for 24 h (TZ1_24h-TZ3_24h) and 48 h (TZ1_48h-TZ3_48h), and six corresponding control samples (C1_24h-C3_24h and C1_48h-C3_48h). Within the categories TZ_24h-vs-C_24h, TZ_48h-vs-C_48h and TZ_48h-vs-TZ_24h, there were 934 (665 upregulated and 269 downregulated), 1238 (785 upregulated and 453 downregulated) and 489 (252 upregulated and 237 downregulated) DEmRNAs, respectively. GO enrichment and KEGG analysis revealed that these DEmRNAs were mainly involved in the regulation of host immune response (e.g. TNF signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, transforming growth factor beta signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway), signaling molecules and interaction (e.g. cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, cell adhesion molecules and ECM-receptor interaction). A total of 88 (59 upregulated and 29 downregulated), 129 (80 upregulated and 49 downregulated) and 32 (20 upregulated and 12 downregulated) DElncRNAs were found within the categories TZ_24h-vs-C_24h, TZ_48h-vs-C_48h and TZ_48h-vs-TZ_24h, respectively. Functional prediction indicated that these DElncRNAs would be involved in signal transduction (e.g. MAPK signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, ErbB signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway), neural transmission (e.g. GABAergic synapse, serotonergic synapse, cholinergic synapse), metabolism processes (e.g. glycosphingolipid biosynthesis-lacto and neolacto series, glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-heparan sulfate/heparin) and signaling molecules and interaction (e.g. cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, cell adhesion molecules and ECM-receptor interaction). Conclusions This is the first investigation of global gene expression profiles of lncRNAs during N. caninum infection. The results provide valuable information for further studies of the roles of lncRNAs during N. caninum infection. Graphical Abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-022-05405-5.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Shan Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - De-Liang Tao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jin-Ming Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiang-Ping Wu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xin Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jun-Ke Song
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xing-Quan Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, 030801, Shanxi, China. .,Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health of Higher Education of Yunnan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China.
| | - Guang-Hui Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Correia A, Alves P, Fróis-Martins R, Teixeira L, Vilanova M. Protective Effect against Neosporosis Induced by Intranasal Immunization with Neospora caninum Membrane Antigens Plus Carbomer-Based Adjuvant. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10060925. [PMID: 35746533 PMCID: PMC9230871 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10060925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular protozoan responsible for abortion and stillbirths in cattle. We previously developed a mucosal vaccination approach using N. caninum membrane proteins and CpG adjuvant that conferred long-term protection against neosporosis in mice. Here, we have extended this approach by alternatively using the carbomer-based adjuvant Carbigen™ in the immunizing preparation. Immunized mice presented higher proportions and numbers of memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Stimulation of spleen, lungs and liver leukocytes with parasite antigens induced a marked production of IFN-γ and IL-17A and, less markedly, IL-4. This balanced response was also evident in that both parasite-specific IgG1 and IgG2c were raised by immunization, together with specific intestinal IgA. Upon intraperitoneal infection with N. caninum, immunized mice presented lower parasitic burdens than sham-immunized controls. In the infected immunized mice, memory CD4+ T cells predominantly expressed T-bet and RORγt, and CD8+ T cells expressing T-bet were found increased. While spleen, lungs and liver leukocytes of both immunized and sham-immunized infected animals produced high amounts of IFN-γ, only the cells from immunized mice responded with high IL-17A production. Since in cattle both IFN-γ and IL-17A have been associated with protective mechanisms against N. caninum infection, the elicited cytokine profile obtained using CarbigenTM as adjuvant indicates that it could be worth exploring for bovine neosporosis vaccination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Correia
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (A.C.); (P.A.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Alves
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (A.C.); (P.A.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Fróis-Martins
- Immunology Section, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland;
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luzia Teixeira
- UMIB—Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal;
- ITR—Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, 4050-290 Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Vilanova
- ICBAS—Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (A.C.); (P.A.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Del'Arco AE, Argolo DS, Guillemin G, Costa MDFD, Costa SL, Pinheiro AM. Neurological Infection, Kynurenine Pathway, and Parasitic Infection by Neospora caninum. Front Immunol 2022; 12:714248. [PMID: 35154065 PMCID: PMC8826404 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.714248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is one of the most frequently studied topics of neurosciences as it is a common feature in almost all neurological disorders. Although the primary function of neuroinflammation is to protect the nervous system from an insult, the complex and sequential response of activated glial cells can lead to neurological damage. Depending on the type of insults and the time post-insult, the inflammatory response can be neuroprotective, neurotoxic, or, depending on the glial cell types, both. There are multiple pathways activated and many bioactive intermediates are released during neuroinflammation. One of the most common one is the kynurenine pathway, catabolizing tryptophan, which is involved in immune regulation, neuroprotection, and neurotoxicity. Different models have been used to study the kynurenine pathway metabolites to understand their involvements in the development and maintenance of the inflammatory processes triggered by infections. Among them, the parasitic infection Neospora caninum could be used as a relevant model to study the role of the kynurenine pathway in the neuroinflammatory response and the subset of cells involved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Elisa Del'Arco
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Veterinary Immunology, Center of Agrarian, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Recôncavo of Bahia (UFRB), Cruz das Almas, Brazil
| | - Deivison Silva Argolo
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Cellular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Bahia, Brazil
| | - Gilles Guillemin
- Neuroinflammation Group, Macquarie Medicine School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Maria de Fátima Dias Costa
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Cellular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Bahia, Brazil
| | - Silvia Lima Costa
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry and Cellular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Bahia, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Moraes Pinheiro
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Veterinary Immunology, Center of Agrarian, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Recôncavo of Bahia (UFRB), Cruz das Almas, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ferreira França FB, Silva MV, Silva MF, Ramos ELP, Miranda VDS, Mota CM, Santiago FM, Mineo JR, Mineo TWP. TNF-TNFR1 Signaling Enhances the Protection Against Neospora caninum Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:789398. [PMID: 35071042 PMCID: PMC8776637 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.789398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a protozoan associated with abortions in ruminants and neuromuscular disease in dogs. Classically, the immune response against apicomplexan parasites is characterized by the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF. TNF is mainly produced during the acute phases of the infections and binds to TNF receptor 1 (CD120a, p55, TNFR1) activating a variety of cells, hence playing an important role in the induction of the inflammatory process against diverse pathogens. Thus, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the role of TNF in cellular and humoral immune responses during N. caninum infection. For this purpose, we used a mouse model of infection based on wildtype (WT) and genetically deficient C57BL/6 mice in TNFR1 (Tnfr1 -/-). We observed that Tnfr1 -/- mice presented higher mortality associated with inflammatory lesions and increased parasite burden in the brain after the infection with N. caninum tachyzoites. Moreover, Tnfr1 -/- mice showed a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) levels in vivo. We also observed that Tnfr1 -/- mice showed enhanced serum concentration of antigen-specific IgG2 subclass, while IgG1 production was significantly reduced compared to WT mice, suggesting that TNFR1 is required for regular IgG subclass production and antigen recognition. Based on our results, we conclude that the TNF-TNFR1 complex is crucial for mediating host resistance during the infection by N. caninum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Flávia Batista Ferreira França
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Murilo Vieira Silva
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Mariana Ferreira Silva
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Eliézer Lucas Pires Ramos
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Dos Santos Miranda
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Caroline Martins Mota
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Maria Santiago
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Mineo
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Tiago Wilson Patriarca Mineo
- Laboratory of Imunoparasitology "Dr. Mário Endsfeldz Camargo", Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
From Signaling Pathways to Distinct Immune Responses: Key Factors for Establishing or Combating Neospora caninum Infection in Different Susceptible Hosts. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9050384. [PMID: 32429367 PMCID: PMC7281608 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9050384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
: Neospora caninum is an intracellular protozoan parasite affecting numerous animal species. It induces significant economic losses because of abortion and neonatal abnormalities in cattle. In case of infection, the parasite secretes numerous arsenals to establish a successful infection in the host cell. In the same context but for a different purpose, the host resorts to different strategies to eliminate the invading parasite. During this battle, numerous key factors from both parasite and host sides are produced and interact for the maintaining and vanishing of the infection, respectively. Although several reviews have highlighted the role of different compartments of the immune system against N. caninum infection, each one of them has mostly targeted specific points related to the immune component and animal host. Thus, in the current review, we will focus on effector molecules derived from the host cell or the parasite using a comprehensive survey method from previous reports. According to our knowledge, this is the first review that highlights and discusses immune response at the host cell-parasite molecular interface against N. caninum infection in different susceptible hosts.
Collapse
|
9
|
Jiménez-Pelayo L, García-Sánchez M, Regidor-Cerrillo J, Horcajo P, Collantes-Fernández E, Gómez-Bautista M, Hambruch N, Pfarrer C, Ortega-Mora LM. Immune response profile of caruncular and trophoblast cell lines infected by high- (Nc-Spain7) and low-virulence (Nc-Spain1H) isolates of Neospora caninum. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:218. [PMID: 31068227 PMCID: PMC6505111 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3466-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bovine neosporosis, one of the main causes of reproductive failure in cattle worldwide, poses a challenge for the immune system of pregnant cows. Changes in the Th-1/Th-2 balance in the placenta during gestation have been associated with abortion. Cotyledon and caruncle cell layers form the maternal-foetal interface in the placenta and are able to recognize and induce immune responses against Neospora caninum among other pathogens. The objective of the present work was to elucidate the immunomodulation produced by high- (Nc-Spain7) and low-virulence (Nc-Spain1H) isolates of N. caninum in bovine trophoblast (F3) and caruncular cells (BCEC-1) at early and late points after infection. Variations in the mRNA expression levels of toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2), Th1 and Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-12p40, IL-17, IFN-γ, TGF-β1, TNF-α), and endothelial adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) were investigated by RT-qPCR, and protein variations in culture supernatants were investigated by ELISA. Results A similar pattern of modulation was found in both cell lines. The most upregulated cytokines in infected cells were pro-inflammatory TNF-α (P < 0.05–0.0001) and IL-8 (P < 0.05–0.001) whereas regulatory IL-6 (P < 0.05–0.001) and TGF-β1 (P < 0.05–0.001) were downregulated in both cell lines. The measurement of secreted IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α confirmed the mRNA expression level results. Differences between isolates were found in the mRNA expression levels of TLR-2 (P < 0.05) in both cell lines and in the mRNA expression levels (P < 0.05) and protein secretion of TNF-α (P < 0.05), which were higher in the trophoblast cell line (F3) infected with the low-virulence isolate Nc-Spain1H. Conclusions Neospora caninum infection is shown to favor a pro-inflammatory response in placental target cells in vitro. In addition, significant immunomodulation differences were observed between high- and low-virulence isolates, which would partially explain the differences in virulence. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-019-3466-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Jiménez-Pelayo
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta García-Sánchez
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Regidor-Cerrillo
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar Horcajo
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther Collantes-Fernández
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mercedes Gómez-Bautista
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nina Hambruch
- Department of Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173, Hannover, Germany
| | - Christiane Pfarrer
- Department of Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173, Hannover, Germany
| | - Luis Miguel Ortega-Mora
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Characteristic pro-inflammatory cytokines and host defence cathelicidin peptide produced by human monocyte-derived macrophages infected withNeospora caninum. Parasitology 2017; 145:871-884. [DOI: 10.1017/s0031182017002104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractNeospora caninumis a coccidian intracellular protozoan capable of infecting a wide range of mammals, although severe disease is mostly reported in dogs and cattle. Innate defences triggered by monocytes/macrophages are key in the pathogenesis of neosporosis, as these cells are first-line defenders against intracellular infections. The aim of this study was to characterize infection and innate responses in macrophages infected withN. caninumusing a well-known cell model to study macrophage functions (human monocyte THP-1 cells). Intracellular invasion of live tachyzoites occurred as fast as 4 h (confirmed with immunofluorescence microscopy usingN. caninum-specific antibodies). Macrophages infected byN. caninumhad increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-8, IFNγ). Interestingly,N. caninuminduced expression of host-defence peptides (cathelicidins), a mechanism of defence never reported forN. caninuminfection in macrophages. The expression of cytokines and cathelicidins in macrophages invaded byN. caninumwas mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK 1/2). Secretion of such innate factors fromN. caninum-infected macrophages reduced parasite internalization and promoted the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in naïve macrophages. We concluded that rapid invasion of macrophages byN. caninumtriggered protective innate defence mechanisms against intracellular pathogens.
Collapse
|
11
|
Maternal and foetal cytokine production in dams naturally and experimentally infected with Neospora caninum on gestation day 110. Res Vet Sci 2016; 107:55-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2016.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Revised: 05/07/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
|
12
|
Horcajo P, Regidor-Cerrillo J, Aguado-Martínez A, Hemphill A, Ortega-Mora LM. Vaccines for bovine neosporosis: current status and key aspects for development. Parasite Immunol 2016; 38:709-723. [DOI: 10.1111/pim.12342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. Horcajo
- SALUVET; Animal Health Department; Faculty of Veterinary Sciences; Complutense University of Madrid; Madrid Spain
| | - J. Regidor-Cerrillo
- SALUVET; Animal Health Department; Faculty of Veterinary Sciences; Complutense University of Madrid; Madrid Spain
| | - A. Aguado-Martínez
- Institute of Parasitology; Vetsuisse Faculty; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
| | - A. Hemphill
- Institute of Parasitology; Vetsuisse Faculty; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
| | - L. M. Ortega-Mora
- SALUVET; Animal Health Department; Faculty of Veterinary Sciences; Complutense University of Madrid; Madrid Spain
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Changes in neurotransmitter levels and expression of immediate early genes in brain of mice infected with Neospora caninum. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23052. [PMID: 26971577 PMCID: PMC4789785 DOI: 10.1038/srep23052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes neurological disorders in dogs and cattle. The majority of host animals are asymptomatic at the chronic stage of infection. However, it remains unclear whether cerebral function is normal in asymptomatic animals. In this study, mice were infected with N. caninum (strain Nc-1) and their brains were examined to understand changes in cerebral function at the chronic stage of infection. Mice infected with N. caninum showed impaired locomotor activity, but no differences in clinical symptoms were observed. In the brains of infected mice, parasites were distributed throughout the brain and histological lesions were observed everywhere except for the cerebellum. Expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines, interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha, were highly upregulated in several brain regions of infected mice. Additionally, the level of neurotransmitters glutamate, glycine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine, were altered in infected mice compared with those of uninfected mice. Interestingly, the expression levels of immediately early genes, c-Fos and Arc, in the brain of infected mice were lower than those of in uninfected mice. Our findings may provide insight into neurological disorders associated with N. caninum infection.
Collapse
|
14
|
Correia A, Ferreirinha P, Botelho S, Belinha A, Leitão C, Caramalho Í, Teixeira L, González-Fernandéz Á, Appelberg R, Vilanova M. Predominant role of interferon-γ in the host protective effect of CD8(+) T cells against Neospora caninum infection. Sci Rep 2015; 5:14913. [PMID: 26449650 PMCID: PMC4598874 DOI: 10.1038/srep14913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well established that CD8+ T cells play an important role in
protective immunity against protozoan infections. However, their role in the course
of Neospora caninum infection has not been fully elucidated. Here we report
that CD8-deficient mice infected with N. caninum presented higher parasitic
loads in the brain and lungs and lower spleen and brain immunity-related GTPases
than their wild-type counterparts. Moreover, adoptive transfer of splenic
CD8+ T cells sorted from N. caninum-primed
immunosufficient C57BL/10 ScSn mice prolonged the survival of infected
IL-12-unresponsive C57BL/10 ScCr recipients. In both C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 ScSn mice
CD8+ T cells are activated and produce interferon-γ
(IFN-γ) upon challenged with N. caninum. The host protective role
of IFN-γ produced by CD8+ T cells was confirmed in N.
caninum-infected RAG2-deficient mice reconstituted with CD8+
T cells obtained from either IFN-γ-deficient or wild-type donors. Mice
receiving IFN-γ-expressing CD8+ T cells presented lower
parasitic burdens than counterparts having IFN-γ-deficient
CD8+ T cells. Moreover, we observed that N.
caninum-infected perforin-deficient mice presented parasitic burdens similar to
those of infected wild-type controls. Altogether these results demonstrate that
production of IFN-γ is a predominant protective mechanism conferred by
CD8+ T cells in the course of neosporosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Correia
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, and IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Ferreirinha
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, and IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal.,ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sofia Botelho
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Belinha
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Catarina Leitão
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, and IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Íris Caramalho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Luzia Teixeira
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.,UMIB-Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Porto
| | - África González-Fernandéz
- Inmunología, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CINBIO), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas Marcosende, E-36200 Vigo, Spain
| | - Rui Appelberg
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, and IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal.,ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Vilanova
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, and IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal.,ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
De Jesus EEV, Santos ABD, Ribeiro CSO, Pinheiro AM, Freire SM, El-Bachá RS, Costa SL, de Fatima Dias Costa M. Role of IFN-γ and LPS on neuron/glial co-cultures infected by Neospora caninum. Front Cell Neurosci 2014; 8:340. [PMID: 25386119 PMCID: PMC4209861 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Neospora caninum causes cattle abortion and neurological symptoms in dogs. Although infection is usually asymptomatic, classical neurological symptoms of neosporosis may be associated with encephalitis. This parasite can grow in brain endothelial cells without markedly damages, but it can modulate the cellular environment to promote its survival in the brain. In previous studies, we described that IFN-γ decreased the parasite proliferation and down regulated nitric oxide (NO) production in astrocyte/microglia cultures. However, it remains unclear how glial cells respond to N. caninum in the presence of neurons. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of 300 IU/mL IFN-γ or 1.0 mg/mL of LPS on infected rat neuron/glial co-cultures. After 72 h of infection, LPS did not affect the mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. However, IFN-γ decreased this parameter by 15.5 and 12.0% in uninfected and infected cells, respectively. The number of tachyzoites decreased 54.1 and 44.3% in cells stimulated with IFN-γ and LPS, respectively. Infection or LPS treatment did not change NO production. On the other hand, IFN-γ induced increased nitrite release in 55.7%, but the infection reverted this induction. IL-10 levels increased only in infected cultures (treated or not), meanwhile PGE2 release was improved in IFN-γ/infected or LPS/infected cells. Although IFN-γ significantly reduced the neurite length in uninfected cultures (42.64%; p < 0.001), this inflammatory cytokine reverted the impairment of neurite outgrowth induced by the infection (81.39%). The results suggest a neuroprotective potential response of glia to N. caninum infection under IFN-γ stimulus. This observation contributes to understand the immune mediated mechanisms of neosporosis in central nervous system (CNS).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erica Etelvina Viana De Jesus
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia-UFBA Salvador, Brazil
| | - Alex Barbosa Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia-UFBA Salvador, Brazil
| | - Catia Suse Oliveira Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia-UFBA Salvador, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Moraes Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Imunologia Veterinária, Centro de Ciências Agrárias Ambientais e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia Cruz das Almas, Brazil
| | - Songeli Menezes Freire
- Laboratório de Imunologia e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia-UFBA Salvador, Brazil
| | - Ramon Santos El-Bachá
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia-UFBA Salvador, Brazil
| | - Silvia Lima Costa
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia-UFBA Salvador, Brazil
| | - Maria de Fatima Dias Costa
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia-UFBA Salvador, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Cantón GJ, Katzer F, Maley SW, Bartley PM, Benavides-Silván J, Palarea-Albaladejo J, Pang Y, Smith SH, Rocchi M, Buxton D, Innes EA, Chianini F. Cytokine expression in the placenta of pregnant cattle after inoculation with Neospora caninum. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2014; 161:77-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2014.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Revised: 07/08/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
17
|
Monney T, Grandgirard D, Leib SL, Hemphill A. Use of a Th1 Stimulator Adjuvant for Vaccination against Neospora caninum Infection in the Pregnant Mouse Model. Pathogens 2013; 2:193-208. [PMID: 25437035 PMCID: PMC4235717 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens2020193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2013] [Revised: 02/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertical transmission from an infected cow to its fetus accounts for the vast majority of new Neospora caninum infections in cattle. A vaccine composed of a chimeric antigen named recNcMIC3-1-R, based on predicted immunogenic domains of the two microneme proteins NcMIC1 and NcMIC3, the rhoptry protein NcROP2, and emulsified in saponin adjuvants, significantly reduced the cerebral infection in non-pregnant BALB/c mice. Protection was associated with a mixed Th1/Th2-type cytokine response. However, the same vaccine formulation elicited a Th2-type immune response in pregnant mice and did not prevent vertical transmission or disease, neither in dams nor in offspring mice. In this study, an alternative vaccine formulation containing recNcMIC3-1-R emulsified in Freund’s incomplete adjuvant, a stimulator of the cellular immunity, was investigated. No protection against vertical transmission and cerebral infection in the pregnant mice and a very limited protective effect in the non-pregnant mice were observed. The vaccine induced a Th1-type immune response characterized by high IgG2a titres and strong IFN-γ expression, which appeared detrimental to pregnancy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Monney
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Länggass-Strasse 122, CH-3012 Berne, Switzerland.
| | - Denis Grandgirard
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Berne, Friedbühlstrasse 51, CH-3010 Berne, Switzerland.
| | - Stephen L Leib
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Berne, Friedbühlstrasse 51, CH-3010 Berne, Switzerland.
| | - Andrew Hemphill
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Länggass-Strasse 122, CH-3012 Berne, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Jesus EEV, Pinheiro AM, Santos AB, Freire SM, Tardy MB, El-Bachá RS, Costa SL, Costa MFD. Effects of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10 and TGF-β on Neospora caninum infection in rat glial cells. Exp Parasitol 2012; 133:269-74. [PMID: 23262170 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2012.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2012] [Revised: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 11/07/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Neospora caninum causes abortion in cattle and neurological disorders in dogs. The immunological response to this parasite has been described as predominantly of the Th1 type. However, infected primary glial cell cultures release IL-10 and IL-6 but not IFN-γ. This suggests a rather protective response of the glia to avoid inflammatory damage of the nervous tissue. In this study, we investigated the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines in primary mixed cultures of rat astrocytes and microglia infected with N. caninum. The cells were treated with either IFN-γ, TNF-α, anti-IL-10 or anti-TGF-β antibodies and were infected with parasite tachyzoites 24h later. Trypan Blue exclusion and MTT assays were performed to test cell viability. It was observed that cytokines, antibody treatment and in vitro infection did not reveal significant cell death in the various culture conditions. Treatment with 50, 150 and 300 IU/mL of either IFN-γ or TNF-α reduced tachyzoites numbers in cultures by 36.7%, 54.8% and 63.8% for IFN-γ and by 27.6%, 38.4% and 29.7% for TNF-α, respectively. In the absence of IL-10 and TGF-β, tachyzoite numbers were reduced by 52.8% and 41.5%, respectively. While IFN-γ (150 and 300 IU/mL) increased the nitrite levels in uninfected cells, parasite infection seemed to reduce the nitrite levels, and this reduction was more expressive in IFN-γ-infected cells, thereby suggesting an inhibitory effect on its production. However, TNF-α, IL-10 and TGF-β did not affect the nitrite levels. Basal PGE(2) levels also increased by 17% and 25%; 78% and 13% in uninfected and infected cells treated with IFN-γ or anti-TGF-β, respectively. Nevertheless, the antibody neutralization of IL-10 reduced PGE(2) release significantly. These results highlight the possibility of a combined effect between the IFN-γ and parasite evasion strategies and show that the IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10 and TGF-β cytokines participate in parasite proliferation control mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E E V Jesus
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia - UFBA, Av. Reitor Miguel Calmon s/n, Vale do Canela, CEP 41100-100 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Malaguti JMA, Cabral AD, Abdalla RP, Salgueiro YO, Galleti NTC, Okuda LH, Cunha EMS, Pituco EM, Del Fava C. Neospora caninum as causative agent of bovine encephalitis in Brazil. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 21:48-54. [PMID: 22534945 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612012000100010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
For supporting the Brazilian bovine encephalitis surveillance program this study examined the differential diagnosis of Neospora caninum in central nervous system (CNS) by histological analysis (HE staining), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and nested-PCR using a set of primers from the Nc5 region of the genomic DNA and ITS1 region of the ribosomal DNA. A sample of 302 cattle presenting neurological syndrome and negative for rabies, aged 0 to 18 years, from herds in 10 Brazilian states was evaluated for N. caninum from January 2007 to April 2010. All specimens tested negative with IHC and nested-PCR using primers from the ITS1 region of ribosomal DNA, while two positive cases (0.66%) were found using primers from the Nc5 region of genomic DNA: a 20 month-old male and a 72 month-old female, both from São Paulo State. Only the male presented severe multifocal necrotizing encephalitis associated with mononuclear cell infiltration, a pathognomonic lesion caused by parasites of the family Sarcocystidae, and only this case was associated with N. caninum thus representing 0.33% positivity. Future studies should explore the association of IHC and nested-PCR with real-time PCR, a quantitative method that could be standardized for improving the detection of N. caninum in bovine CNS specimens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jane Mary Albinati Malaguti
- Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Sanidade Animal-CPDSA, Instituto Biológico, Av. Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves, 1252, Vila Mariana, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Rojo-Montejo S, Collantes-Fernández E, López-Pérez I, Risco-Castillo V, Prenafeta A, Ortega-Mora LM. Evaluation of the protection conferred by a naturally attenuated Neospora caninum isolate against congenital and cerebral neosporosis in mice. Vet Res 2012; 43:62. [PMID: 22913428 PMCID: PMC3468385 DOI: 10.1186/1297-9716-43-62] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The parasite Neospora caninum is an important abortifacient agent in cattle worldwide. At present, the development of an effective and safe vaccine against bovine neosporosis is of great relevance. Recently, a new isolate of N. caninum (Nc-Spain 1 H) which was obtained from the brain of an asymptomatic congenitally infected calf, exhibited non-virulent behaviour in mouse and bovine infection models. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of Nc-Spain 1 H when used as a vaccinal isolate in well-established BALB/c models of congenital and cerebral neosporosis. Mice were subcutaneously immunised twice at 3-week intervals and were challenged with 2 × 106 tachyzoites of the virulent Nc-Liv isolate. After immunisation with live Nc-Spain 1 H tachyzoites, no parasitic DNA was detected in the dams’ brains before challenge and microsatellite analysis performed in PCR-positive mice showed that the profiles corresponded to the challenge isolate Nc-Liv, indicating the Nc-Spain 1 H isolate to be a safe vaccine candidate. The efficacy of the live vaccine was evaluated in the first experiment after the immunisation of mice with 5 × 105 live Nc-Spain 1 H tachyzoites. This immunisation protocol significantly reduced the neonatal mortality to 2.4%, reduced the vertical transmission from 89.1% to 2.3% and completely limited the cerebral infection. These results were associated with a Th1-type immune response. In the second experiment, the effect of various immunising doses was established using ten-fold dilutions of the tachyzoites (from 5 × 105 to 5 × 10). In all the cases, congenital protection rates above 60% were observed, and the mice that were immunised with the lowest dose (5 × 10) presented the highest protection rate (86%). Moreover, low immunising doses of Nc-Spain 1 H induced an IgG2a response, and high parasitic doses induced an IgG1 response. These results evidence the safety and the efficient protection that was conferred by Nc-Spain 1 H against congenital neosporosis, even when the mice were immunised with low parasitic doses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Rojo-Montejo
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, Madrid, 28040, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Low efficacy of NcGRA7, NcSAG4, NcBSR4 and NcSRS9 formulated in poly-ɛ-caprolactone against Neospora caninum infection in mice. Vaccine 2012; 30:4983-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2011] [Revised: 05/07/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
|
22
|
Debache K, Hemphill A. Intra-cisternal vaccination induces high-level protection against Neospora caninum infection in mice. Vaccine 2012; 30:4209-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.04.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Revised: 04/03/2012] [Accepted: 04/13/2012] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
|
23
|
Comparative efficacy of immunization with inactivated whole tachyzoites versus a tachyzoite-bradyzoite mixture against neosporosis in mice. Parasitology 2011; 138:1372-83. [DOI: 10.1017/s0031182011001156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYThe worldwide economic impact ofNeospora caninuminfection has caused the development of effective vaccines to become one of the main goals in the field of neosporosis research. In this study, the protection conferred by antigens from inactivated whole tachyzoites (TZ) and a tachyzoite-bradyzoite mixture (TZ-BZ) ofN. caninum(Nc-Spain7 isolate) incorporated into a water-in-oil emulsion (W/O) and aluminium hydroxide-ginseng extract (Al/G) was evaluated in mouse models of congenital and cerebralN. caninuminfection. Immunization with TZ-BZ induced congenital and cerebral neosporosis exacerbation that was mainly characterized by reduced neonatal median survival time and increased parasite presence in adult mouse brains. The immune response of mice immunized with TZ-BZ was characterized by an increase in IFN-γexpression prior to challenge and an increase in IL-4 expression accompanied with significantly higher levels of antibodies against 2 recombinant bradyzoite-specific proteins (rNcSAG4 and rNcBSR4) after challenge. Immunization with TZ in W/O significantly reduced neonatal mortality, vertical transmission as well as parasite presence in adult mouse brains and induced a strong humoral immune response. The current study demonstrates the critical role of stage-specific antigens and adjuvants on the development of effective inactivated vaccines for the prevention ofN. caninuminfection.
Collapse
|
24
|
Marugán-Hernández V, Ortega-Mora LM, Aguado-Martínez A, Jiménez-Ruíz E, Alvarez-García G. Transgenic Neospora caninum strains constitutively expressing the bradyzoite NcSAG4 protein proved to be safe and conferred significant levels of protection against vertical transmission when used as live vaccines in mice. Vaccine 2011; 29:7867-74. [PMID: 21816191 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.07.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Revised: 07/13/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
At present, there is no effective treatment or vaccine to prevent vertical transmission or abortion associated with Neospora caninum infection in cattle. Different vaccine formulations have been assayed, and live vaccines have shown the most promising results in terms of protection. Previously, transgenic N. caninum tachyzoites expressing the bradyzoite stage-specific NcSAG4 antigen in a constitutive manner (Nc-1 SAG4(c)) were obtained and showed a reduced persistence of parasite in inoculated mice. Thus, the present study evaluates the Nc-1 SAG4(c)1.1 and Nc-1 SAG4(c)2.1 transgenic strains and the Nc-1 wild-type (WT) strain to determine their protective efficacy against vertical transmission and cerebral neosporosis in mice. Consequently, dams were immunized twice with 5 × 10(5) tachyzoites of each strain and challenged with 2 × 10(6) tachyzoites of a heterologous and virulent isolate at 7-10 days of gestation. The Nc-1 SAG4(c)1.1 strain offered less protection than the other transgenic strain (Nc-1 SAG4(c)2.1) or their ancestor (Nc-1 WT). Indeed, 40%, 7% and 5.6% of the postnatal deaths corresponded to pups from dams vaccinated with Nc-1 SAG4(c)1.1, Nc-1 SAG4(c)2.1 and Nc-1 (WT) strains, respectively. In comparison, the non-immunized challenge group had a 100% mortality rate. In addition, mice were protected against congenital transmission; vertical transmission rates were 45%, 11.1% and 10.8% in the Nc-1 SAG4(c)1.1, Nc-1 SAG4(c)2.1 and Nc-1 WT immunized groups, respectively, vs. 94.9% in the non-vaccinated infected group. However, this protection against the postnatal mortality and the vertical transmission was not associated with a consistent Th1 or Th2-type immune response. Nonetheless, the Nc-1 SAG4(c)2.1 strain appears to be the best candidate for use as a live vaccine, as evidenced by results demonstrating its high levels of protection against vertical transmission and its lower persistence in mice, making this transgenic strain safer than Nc-1 WT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Marugán-Hernández
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Almería S, Serrano B, Yàniz JL, Darwich L, López-Gatius F. Cytokine gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Neospora caninum naturally infected dams throughout gestation. Vet Parasitol 2011; 183:237-43. [PMID: 21846584 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.07.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2011] [Revised: 07/13/2011] [Accepted: 07/21/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a major cause of abortion in cattle but it is not known why some infected animals suffer abortion while others do not. An essential role in protective immunity against N. caninum has been proposed for Th1 cytokines such as IFN-γ and IL-12 although cytokine patterns in N. caninum infected pregnant cattle have been scarcely addressed. In this study, gene expression of the cytokines IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-10, IL-4 and TNF-α was analyzed by real time RT-PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in N. caninum naturally infected dams throughout pregnancy. Blood samples were drawn from 18 cows (13 N. caninum seropositive and 5 N. caninum seronegative) on Days 45, 90, 120, 150, 180 and 210 of pregnancy or until abortion. Four seropositive animals aborted. Compared to the seronegative animals, N. caninum infected dams showed up-regulated mRNA levels of the Th1 cytokines, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-12p40, along with up-regulation of the T regulatory (Treg) cytokine IL-10. In contrast, expression levels of IL-4 (Th2 cytokine) did not differ significantly among the different groups throughout the study period. Our findings indicate clear differences in peripheral blood cytokine gene expression levels during pregnancy between animals naturally infected with N. caninum and seronegative control animals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the gene expression of Th1, Th2 and regulatory cytokines in the peripheral blood of pregnant cows naturally infected with N. caninum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Almería
- Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), UAB-IRTA, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Pinheiro A, Costa S, Freire S, Ribeiro C, Tardy M, El-Bachá R, Costa M. Neospora caninum: Early immune response of rat mixed glial cultures after tachyzoites infection. Exp Parasitol 2010; 124:442-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2009.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2009] [Revised: 10/21/2009] [Accepted: 12/24/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
27
|
Aguado-Martínez A, Alvarez-García G, Fernández-García A, Risco-Castillo V, Marugán-Hernández V, Ortega-Mora LM. Failure of a vaccine using immunogenic recombinant proteins rNcSAG4 and rNcGRA7 against neosporosis in mice. Vaccine 2009; 27:7331-8. [PMID: 19782735 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.09.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2009] [Revised: 09/11/2009] [Accepted: 09/14/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The development of an effective vaccine against Neospora caninum infection in cattle is an important issue due to the significant economic impact of this parasitic disease worldwide. In this work, the immune response, safety and efficacy of different vaccine formulations using the N. caninum recombinant proteins rNcSAG4 (the first bradyzoite-specific protein assayed as a vaccine) and rNcGRA7 were evaluated in mouse models. The survival curves of pups from all vaccinated groups showed a slight delay in time to death compared to control groups; this difference was statistically significant for rNcSAG4+adjuvant group. Immune response of mice vaccinated with rNcSAG4 was characterized by reduced specific IgG and cytokine levels with an equilibrated IFN-gamma/IL-10 balance. Regarding mice vaccinated with rNcGRA7, a very strong humoral and cellular immune response was generated characterized by a hyper-production of IFN-gamma. This response was not accompanied by significant protection. Vaccination with a mixture of both recombinant proteins reduced infection in lung and brain during acute and chronic infection, respectively, although it was not statistically significant. In summary, no significant protection was obtained with these vaccine formulations in the present mouse models. However, the study reveals some positive results on immune response and efficacy for both recombinant proteins; these results are being discussed in order to suggest new approaches with new chronic infection mouse models and adjuvants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Aguado-Martínez
- SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Neospora caninum is an important cause of reproductive disease in cattle worldwide. The dog is a definitive host for the parasite and the oocyst stage, shed in the faeces, is a source of infection for cattle through consumption of contaminated feed or water. In addition, transplacental transmission of N. caninum is a very efficient means of the parasite infecting a new host and this can occur in successive pregnancies and over several generations. Neospora parasites may cause disease during pregnancy resulting in death of the foetus or birth of live congenitally infected calves that may show some neurological clinical signs at birth. The stage of pregnancy at which infection/parasitaemia occurs is an important factor in determining disease severity. Neospora infection in the first trimester of pregnancy may have more severe consequences for the foetus compared with infection occurring in the final trimester. The host-parasite relationship during pregnancy is a fascinating interaction and research in this area will improve understanding of disease pathogenesis and the various consequences of the host immune response, being host-protective, parasite protective and contributing to disease pathology. Pregnancy poses an interesting problem for the immune system of the dam as she is essentially carrying a semi-allogeneic tissue graft (the foetus) without immunological rejection taking place. To facilitate the pregnancy the cytokine environment in the placenta favours the regulatory Th-2-type cytokines, whose role is to counteract the pro-inflammatory Th1-type immune responses. Protective immunity to N. caninum, similar to many other intracellular parasites, involves Th1-type immune responses, which may pose problems for the dam trying to control a Neospora infection during pregnancy. This paper will discuss the host-parasite relationship at different stages of gestation in pregnant cattle and review the implications of this research for our understanding of disease pathogenesis, parasite transmission and host protection.
Collapse
|
29
|
Furuta PI, Mineo TWP, Carrasco AOT, Godoy GS, Pinto AA, Machado RZ. Neospora caninuminfection in birds: experimental infections in chicken and embryonated eggs. Parasitology 2007; 134:1931-9. [PMID: 17686190 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182007003344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYNeospora caninumcauses economical impact in cattle-raising farms since it is implicated as the major cause of bovine abortions. Although infection by the parasite has been widely described in mammals, the role of birds in its life-cycle is still obscure. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the infection byN. caninumin different chicken models. Experimental infections were conducted in 7-day-old chicks, laying hens and embryonated eggs, where samples were analysed for parasite burden, IgG antibodies and lesions promoted. Chickens demonstrated an asymptomatic infection, although with seroconversion and systemic replication of the parasite. In laying hens, no signs of vertical transmission were observed. However, embryonated eggs inoculated by the allantoic cavity route demonstrated susceptibility to infection, with mortality rates around 50% independent of the inoculum dose. Additionally, dogs became infected after ingestion of different amounts of inoculated eggs, producing either oocysts or specific IgG antibodies. The results herein presented demonstrate that chickens may be intermediate hosts ofN. caninumand that embryonated eggs could be a useful model to study the parasite's biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P I Furuta
- Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Campus de Jaboticabal, Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Innes EA, Vermeulen AN. Vaccination as a control strategy against the coccidial parasitesEimeria,ToxoplasmaandNeospora. Parasitology 2007; 133 Suppl:S145-68. [PMID: 17274844 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182006001855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The protozoan parasitesEimeriaspp.Toxoplasma gondiiandNeospora caninumare significant causes of disease in livestock worldwide andT. gondiiis also an important human pathogen. Drugs have been used with varying success to help control aspects of these diseases and commercial vaccines are available for all three groups of parasites. However, there are issues with increasing development of resistance to many of the anti-coccidial drugs used to help control avian eimeriosis and public concerns about the use of drugs in food animals. In addition there are no drugs available that can act against the tissue cyst stage of eitherT. gondiiorN. caninumand thus cure animals or people of infection. All three groups of parasites multiply within the cells of their host species and therefore cell mediated immune mechanisms are thought to be an important component of host protective immunity. Successful vaccination strategies for bothEimeriaandToxoplasmahave relied on using a live vaccination approach using attenuated parasites which allows correct processing and presentation of antigen to the host immune system to stimulate appropriate cell mediated immune responses. However, live vaccines can have problems with safety, short shelf-life and large-scale production; therefore there is continued interest in devising new vaccines using defined recombinant antigens. The major challenges in devising novel vaccines are to select relevant antigens and then present them to the immune system in an appropriate manner to enable the induction of protective immune responses. With all three groups of parasites, vaccine preparations comprising antigens from the different life cycle stages may also be advantageous. In the case ofEimeriaparasites there are also problems with strain-specific immunity therefore a cocktail of antigens from different parasite strains may be required. Improving our knowledge of the different parasite transmission routes, host-parasite relationships, disease pathogenesis and determining the various roles of the host immune response being at times host-protective, parasite protective and in causing immunopathology will help to tailor a vaccination strategy against a particular disease target. This paper discusses current vaccination strategies to help combat infections withEimeria,ToxoplasmaandNeosporaand recent research looking towards developing new vaccine targets and approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E A Innes
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Edinburgh EH26 OPZ, UK.
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Maley SW, Buxton D, Macaldowie CN, Anderson IE, Wright SE, Bartley PM, Esteban-Redondo I, Hamilton CM, Storset AK, Innes EA. Characterization of the immune response in the placenta of cattle experimentally infected with Neospora caninum in early gestation. J Comp Pathol 2006; 135:130-141. [PMID: 16997005 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2006.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2006] [Accepted: 07/05/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A serial examination of three groups of cattle infected intravenously (iv) (Group 1, n=8) or subcutaneously (sc) (Group 2, n=8) with live Neospora caninum tachyzoites or with VERO cells (Group 3, n=8) at 70 days' gestation was carried out and the nature of the inflammatory responses in the placenta and the presence of parasite antigen were analysed. Immune cells expressing CD3, CD4, CD8, gamma delta (gammadelta) T-cell receptors (TCR), CD79alpha cytoplasmic (cy) (B cells) and NKp46 [natural killer (NK) cells] antigens were identified immunohistochemically and cells expressing mRNA for interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were labelled by in-situ hybridization. Intravenous inoculation caused mortality in all fetuses from 28 days post-inoculation (dpi) onwards. Subcutaneous inoculation caused mortality in 50% of the animals by 28dpi. Pathological changes in the placenta consisted of necrosis of fetal placental villi, necrosis and inflammation in adjacent areas of the maternal septum and inflammation at the base of the maternal caruncle. The inflammatory infiltrate consisted mainly of CD3(+) lymphocytes, dominated by CD4(+) and gammadelta TCR(+) cells, with CD8(+) cells present to a lesser extent. The results from the control group indicated fewer NK cells than those occurring in the placenta of human beings or mice. Infiltration of CD4(+) cells and NKp46(+) cells was observed in the caruncular base and septa 14 days after infection, whereas infiltration of gammadelta TCR(+) cells was observed from 28 dpi onwards. To our knowledge this is the first report on the presence and distribution of NK cells in the bovine placenta. Maternal inflammatory cells expressing mRNA for IFN-gamma were identified in animals inoculated with parasites iv or sc at 14 and 28 dpi, respectively. In the sc-inoculated dams with live fetuses at 28, 42 and 56dpi, there was no evidence of parasite antigen, infiltration of immune cells or production of IFN-gamma, suggesting that the parasite had not reached the placenta. The exact cause of fetal death was not established. Tissue destruction by the parasite may have occurred; in addition, there may have been a T helper 1 (Th-1) immune response to the neospora infection at the materno-fetal interface, resulting in infiltrations of CD4T cells, gammadelta T cells and NK cells and the subsequent production of IFN-gamma. It is possible that a pro-inflammatory Th-1 response early in gestation protects the dam by eliminating the parasite; however, it may lead to destruction of the placental tissues themselves and thus be incompatible with fetal survival.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- CD3 Complex/genetics
- CD3 Complex/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/pathology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/pathology
- Cattle
- Cattle Diseases/immunology
- Cattle Diseases/metabolism
- Cattle Diseases/parasitology
- Cattle Diseases/pathology
- Coccidiosis/immunology
- Coccidiosis/pathology
- Coccidiosis/veterinary
- Female
- Fetal Death
- Interferon-gamma/genetics
- Interferon-gamma/metabolism
- Neospora/immunology
- Neospora/pathogenicity
- Placenta/immunology
- Placenta/metabolism
- Placenta/parasitology
- Placenta/pathology
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy, Animal/immunology
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta/metabolism
- Receptors, Immunologic/genetics
- Receptors, Immunologic/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/pathology
- Th1 Cells/immunology
- Th1 Cells/metabolism
- Th1 Cells/pathology
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S W Maley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ.
| | - D Buxton
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ
| | - C N Macaldowie
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ
| | - I E Anderson
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ
| | - S E Wright
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ
| | - P M Bartley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ
| | - I Esteban-Redondo
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ
| | - C M Hamilton
- Department of Zoology, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - A K Storset
- Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, PO Box 8146, dep., N-0033, Oslo, Norway
| | - E A Innes
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, EH26 0PZ
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Pinheiro AM, Costa SL, Freire SM, Almeida MAO, Tardy M, El Bachá R, Costa MFD. Astroglial cells in primary culture: A valid model to study Neospora caninum infection in the CNS. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2006; 113:243-7. [PMID: 16828168 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2006.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2005] [Accepted: 05/03/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The protozoan Neospora caninum has a veterinary importance because it causes abortion in cattle and neuromuscular alterations in dogs. We infected rat astrocytes, in vitro, with different concentrations of N. caninum. Astrocytes responded to infection by producing the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha and the neurotoxic-free radical NO, 24 and 72 h post-infection. These data suggest that astrocytes, which are essential for brain function, are targets for the parasite and this represents a practical and valid model to study the effects of N. caninum on the CNS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A M Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Williams DJL, Trees AJ. Review Article. Protecting babies: vaccine strategies to prevent foetopathy in Neospora caninum-infected cattle. Parasite Immunol 2006; 28:61-7. [PMID: 16441503 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2005.00809.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan protozoan parasite that is a significant infectious abortifacient agent in cattle. Despite the fact that it is a member of a well described taxonomic group, it is a relatively newly discovered parasite and its biology is not yet fully understood. Cattle become infected either congenitally via transplacental transmission or post-natally by ingesting oocysts derived from the definitive host; dogs and coyotes are the only definitive hosts that have been described to date. It is not known which of these two forms of transmission occurs most frequently and which is the most likely to result in abortion; there are no drugs available to treat infected cattle, so current control strategies rely on prevention of infection by management methods and strict hygiene; an effective vaccine would be a great advantage in its control. Neospora caninum is an economically important veterinary pathogen, but we can also draw analogies between its foetopathic effects and those of human pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii, Chlamydophila abortus and Plasmodium falciparum. Understanding the immune response and the materno-foetal relationship in N. caninum-infected cattle may help us to design vaccination strategies, not only for neosporosis but also for other foetopathic agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D J L Williams
- Veterinary Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, UK.
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Boysen P, Klevar S, Olsen I, Storset AK. The protozoan Neospora caninum directly triggers bovine NK cells to produce gamma interferon and to kill infected fibroblasts. Infect Immun 2006; 74:953-60. [PMID: 16428740 PMCID: PMC1360307 DOI: 10.1128/iai.74.2.953-960.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are considered to be key players in the early innate responses to protozoan infections, primarily indirectly by producing gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in response to cytokines, like interleukin 12 (IL-12). We demonstrate that live, as well as heat-inactivated, tachyzoites of Neospora caninum, a Toxoplasma-like protozoan, directly trigger production of IFN-gamma from purified, IL-2-activated bovine NK cells. This response occurred independently of IL-12 but was increased by the addition of the cytokine. A similar IFN-gamma response was measured in cocultures of NK cells and N. caninum-infected autologous fibroblasts. However, no NK cell-derived IFN-gamma response was detected when cells were cultured with soluble antigens from the organism, indicating that intact tachyzoites or nonsoluble components are necessary for NK cell triggering. Furthermore, N. caninum-infected autologous fibroblasts had increased susceptibility to NK cell cytotoxicity compared to uninfected fibroblasts. This cytotoxicity was largely mediated by a perforin-mediated mechanism. The activating receptor NKp46 was involved in cytotoxicity against fibroblasts but could not explain the increased cytotoxicity against infected targets. Interestingly, N. caninum tachyzoites were able to infect cultured NK cells, in which tachyzoites proliferated inside parasitophorous vacuoles. Together, these findings underscore the role of NK cells as primary responders during a protozoan infection, describe intracellular protozoan infection of NK cells in vitro for the first time, and represent the first functional study of purified bovine NK cells in response to infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Preben Boysen
- Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Innes EA, Wright S, Bartley P, Maley S, Macaldowie C, Esteban-Redondo I, Buxton D. The host–parasite relationship in bovine neosporosis. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2005; 108:29-36. [PMID: 16098610 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2005.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Infection with the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum is thought to be a major cause of reproductive failure in cattle worldwide. Cattle infected with the parasite are three to seven times more likely to abort compared to uninfected cattle. The parasite may be transmitted to cattle through the ingestion of oocysts that are shed in the faeces of acutely infected dogs (definitive host of N. caninum) or by congenital infection from mother to foetus via the placenta. Interestingly, transplacental transmission can occur over consecutive pregnancies and congenitally infected heifers can transmit the parasite to their own offspring. This repeated vertical transmission observed in naturally infected cattle suggests that cattle do not easily develop effective immunity to the parasite, presenting a significant challenge to the development of a control strategy based on vaccination. Neosporosis is a disease of pregnancy and studying the bovine maternal and foetal immune responses during pregnancy will help us to understand the change in the balance between the parasite and the host that may result in disease of the foetus. Studies in non-pregnant cattle and in murine models of infection have shown the importance of T-helper 1-type immune responses involving pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IFNgamma and IL-12, in limiting intracellular multiplication of the parasite. During pregnancy, changes occur in the immune system allowing the mother to accept the foetal allograft. Research in other species has stressed the crucial role of T-helper 2-type cytokines at the materno-foetal interface in maintaining the pregnancy and regulating the potentially damaging effect of Th-1 responses. Studies in cattle have shown that cell proliferation and IFNgamma responses may be significantly down-regulated around mid-gestation. This may mean that cattle are less able to cope with N. caninum infection at this time and are more likely to transmit the parasite to the foetus. Another important factor is the gestational age and hence immuno-competence of the foetus at the time of infection. Early in gestation, N. caninum infection of the placenta and subsequently the foetus usually proves fatal, whereas infection occurring in mid to late pregnancy may result in the birth of a congenitally infected but otherwise healthy calf. Studies of foetal immune responses have shown that at 14 weeks of gestation, lymphocytes only respond to mitogen, while by 24 weeks (mid-gestation), they respond to antigen by proliferating and releasing IFNgamma. Clearly, there are several factors influencing the outcome of N. caninum infection in pregnancy: the timing, quantity and duration of parasitaemia, the effectiveness of the maternal immune response and the ability of the foetus to mount an immune response against the parasite. The challenge is to design a vaccine that will prevent foetal infection by N. caninum. This is likely to involve a fine balancing act with the immune system that will allow intervention in a manner that will tip the host-parasite balance in favour of the host without compromising the pregnancy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth A Innes
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh EH26 OPZ, UK. lee.innes.@moredun.ac.uk
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Moore DP, Leunda MR, Zamorano PI, Odeón AC, Romera SA, Cano A, de Yaniz G, Venturini MC, Campero CM. Immune response to Neospora caninum in naturally infected heifers and heifers vaccinated with inactivated antigen during the second trimester of gestation. Vet Parasitol 2005; 130:29-39. [PMID: 15893067 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2005.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to compare the immune response to Neospora caninum in naturally infected heifers and heifers inoculated with a killed whole N. caninum tachyzoite preparation during the second trimester of gestation. Nine Holstein heifers were used in this study; three naturally infected heifers were born from seropositive dams, and six seronegative heifers were born from seronegative dams. Four seronegative heifers were subcutaneously vaccinated with a killed whole N. caninum tachyzoite preparation at weeks 13, 15 and 17 of gestation. A killed whole N. caninum tachyzoite preparation containing 45 mg of protein/5 ml dose was formulated with 70% of mineral oil adjuvant (13% consisting of Arlacel C, 85% Marcol 52 and 2% Tween-80). Similarly, two seronegative heifers (negative controls) were inoculated with mock-infected bovine monocytes in oil adjuvant. Humoral immune responses were tested by using an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting isotype specific antibodies. Cellular immune responses were assessed by lymphocyte proliferation test (LPT) and IFN-gamma production. N. caninum-specific antibody responses increased in immunized cattle by week 15 of gestation (mean reciprocal antibody titers 450+/-252), peaked at week 23 (mean 16,000+/-6400). Maximum antibody response in naturally infected heifers was observed at week 19 of gestation (mean: 3467+/-2810). Mean serum IFAT titers were significantly higher in immunized heifers compared with those in naturally infected heifers from weeks 17 to 25 (P < 0.05). Analysis of isotype specific antibodies in naturally infected heifers revealed a predominant IgG1 response in one heifer and a predominant IgG2 response in the other two. Similar titers of IgG1 and IgG2 occurred in immunized heifers. Control heifers remained seronegative throughout the study by IFAT and ELISA. Significant antigen-specific proliferation responses were only detected in naturally infected heifers in week 19 of gestation. Peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBC) from immunized animals produced IFN-gamma in similar concentrations to those of infected animals (P > 0.05). No abortion was seen in any experimental group; however, one calf from a vaccinated heifer died due to dystocia. All calves from vaccinated and control heifers were seronegative by IFAT at 6 months of age; in contrast, calves born from naturally infected heifers remained seropositive with titers > or = 200. Killed vaccine induced similar immune responses to those found in chronically, naturally infected cattle which did not abort; however, different immune pathways may be followed in vaccinated and natural infected heifers with differences in degree of protective immunity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D P Moore
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Staska LM, Davies CJ, Brown WC, McGuire TC, Suarez CE, Park JY, Mathison BA, Abbott JR, Baszler TV. Identification of vaccine candidate peptides in the NcSRS2 surface protein of Neospora caninum by using CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and gamma interferon-secreting T lymphocytes of infected holstein cattle. Infect Immun 2005; 73:1321-9. [PMID: 15731029 PMCID: PMC1064910 DOI: 10.1128/iai.73.3.1321-1329.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, our laboratory showed that Holstein cattle experimentally infected with Neospora caninum develop parasite-specific CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) that lyse infected, autologous target cells through a perforin-granzyme pathway. To identify specific parasite antigens inducing bovine CTL and helper T-lymphocyte responses for vaccine development against bovine neosporosis, the tachyzoite major surface proteins NcSAG1 and NcSRS2 were targeted. In whole tachyzoite antigen-expanded bovine T-lymphocyte lines, recombinant NcSRS2 induced potent memory CD4+- and CD8+-T-lymphocyte activation, as indicated by proliferation and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) secretion, while recombinant NcSAG1 induced a minimal memory response. Subsequently, T-lymphocyte epitope-bearing peptides of NcSRS2 were mapped by using overlapping peptides covering the entire NcSRS2 sequence. Four experimentally infected cattle with six different major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II haplotypes were the source of immune cells used to identify NcSRS2 peptides presented by Holstein MHC haplotypes. NcSRS2 peptides were mapped by using IFN-gamma secretion by rNcSRS2-stimulated, short-term T-lymphocyte cell lines, IFN-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay with peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and 51Cr release cytotoxicity assay of rNcSRS2-stimulated effector cells. Four N. caninum-infected Holstein cattle developed NcSRS2 peptide-specific T lymphocytes detected ex vivo in peripheral blood by IFN-gamma ELISPOT and in vitro by measuring T-lymphocyte IFN-gamma production and cytotoxicity. An immunodominant region of NcSRS2 spanning amino acids 133 to 155 was recognized by CD4+ T lymphocytes from the four cattle. These findings support investigation of subunit N. caninum vaccines incorporating NcSRS2 gene sequences or peptides for induction of NcSRS2 peptide-specific CTL and IFN-gamma-secreting T lymphocytes in cattle with varied MHC genotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Staska
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Bustad Hall, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Bartley PM, Kirvar E, Wright S, Swales C, Esteban-Redondo I, Buxton D, Maley SW, Schock A, Rae AG, Hamilton C, Innes EA. Maternal and fetal immune responses of cattle inoculated with Neospora caninum at mid-gestation. J Comp Pathol 2004; 130:81-91. [PMID: 15003463 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2003.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2003] [Accepted: 08/23/2003] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of pregnant cattle and their fetuses were examined at intervals after infection with Neospora caninum tachyzoites at mid-gestation (day 140). All cattle seroconverted and interferon gamma was detected in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with specific antigen. At day 14 post-inoculation (pi), specific cell proliferation responses were detected in the lymph node draining the site of inoculation and in the uterine lymph node. The peak response was recorded in the majority of maternal lymph nodes by day 28 pi and cells from the maternal retropharyngeal lymph node, which in part drains the central nervous system, showed no specific activity to N. caninum until day 42 pi. This changing pattern of immune responsiveness may reflect parasite invasion and development within different host tissues. Fetal lymph node cells showed mitogen responsiveness from day 14 pi (day 154 of gestation) and also showed N. caninum-specific cell proliferation and interferon-gamma responses by day 28 pi (day 168 of gestation). At day 42 pi, specific cell-mediated immune responses were not apparent; however, N. caninum-specific fetal IgG and IgM antibodies were detected.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P M Bartley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian, Edinburgh, Scotland EH26 0PZ, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Almeria S, De Marez T, Dawson H, Araujo R, Dubey JP, Gasbarre LC. Cytokine gene expression in dams and foetuses after experimental Neospora caninum infection of heifers at 110 days of gestation. Parasite Immunol 2004; 25:383-92. [PMID: 14521581 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3024.2003.00645.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a major cause of abortion in cattle. An essential role for Th1 cytokines, such as IFN-gamma and IL-12 in protective immunity against N. caninum in murine models has been indicated. However, little is known about immunity to Neospora in pregnant cattle where a considerable level of immunomodulation may exist. In this study, the immune response of heifers infected early in the second trimester of pregnancy by intravenous inoculation of N. caninum tachyzoites was compared with immune responses in uninfected pregnant heifers. Animals were killed 3 weeks after infection. No abortion was observed in any infected dam, however, transplacental infection was shown to have already taken place. Infection with N. caninum during pregnancy induced significant immune responses in both dams and their foetuses. Infected dams showed significant changes in lymphocyte subpopulations compared with uninfected pregnant animals and these changes were compartmentalized. Increased levels of T lymphocytes were observed in the infected foetuses. Cytokine gene expression analysed by real time RT-PCR showed increased expression of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines in N. caninum infected animals. This cytokine expression could have a role in the transplacental transmission of the parasite and/or mediate tissue damage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Almeria
- Parasitology, Veterinary School, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Staska LM, McGuire TC, Davies CJ, Lewin HA, Baszler TV. Neospora caninum-infected cattle develop parasite-specific CD4+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Infect Immun 2003; 71:3272-9. [PMID: 12761108 PMCID: PMC155777 DOI: 10.1128/iai.71.6.3272-3279.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cattle infected with Neospora caninum readily experience transplacental parasite transmission, presumably after maternal parasitemia, leading to abortion or birth of congenitally infected calves. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are important mediators of protective immunity against Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular apicomplexan protozoan closely related to N. caninum. In this study, N. caninum-specific CTL expanded from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two major histocompatibility complex-mismatched, experimentally infected cattle were identified by using a (51)Cr release cytotoxicity assay. Enrichment and blocking of CD4(+)- and CD8(+)-T-lymphocyte effector subsets indicated that CD4(+) CTL killed N. caninum-infected, autologous target cells and that killing was mediated through a perforin/granzyme pathway. Detection and characterization of CTL responses to N. caninum in the natural, outbred, bovine host will facilitate identification of immunogens and design of immunization strategies to induce parasite-specific CTL against transplacental N. caninum transmission in cattle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Staska
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman 99164, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Abstract
Resistance to many intracellular protozoan parasites is dependent on T helper cell 1 cytokine responses. This has important repercussions for pregnant females because strong T helper cell 1 cytokine responses are incompatible with successful pregnancy. Thus, there are two possible consequences of infection with protozoans such as Leishmania major, Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy: (1) pregnancy is compromised; or (2) resistance to the parasite is compromised. The apicomplexan Neospora caninum is a parasite renowned for its association with abortion in cattle. Furthermore, a major route of transmission for this parasite is congenital. The evidence for the hypothesis that T helper cell 1 cytokines play a role in these events is reviewed here.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen E Quinn
- Dept of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Nishikawa Y, Mikami T, Nagasawa H. Vaccine development against Neospora caninum infection. J Vet Med Sci 2002; 64:1-5. [PMID: 11853138 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.64.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a recognized protozoan parasite of a wide range of mammalian hosts, and was reported for the first time in 1988. The isolation of its oocysts in dog's faeces in 1998 led to its establishment as a parasitic species undergoing typical coccidian life cycle. Infection with N. caninum causes paralysis and death in young livestock and companion animals, and is associated with abortions and stillbirth in cattle, and neurologic disease in calves. Considering the economic and agricultural importance of neosporosis, there is the urgent need to develop biological control measures aimed at preventing its transmission, infection, as well as reducing severity of the disease. In this paper, we have reviewed the progress made to date on the parasite-host immunology and on vaccine development including its prospects, and discussed possible strategies in the formulation of vaccine(s) against neosporosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshifumi Nishikawa
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Nishikawa Y, Iwata A, Nagasawa H, Fujisaki K, Otsuka H, Mikami T. Comparison of the growth inhibitory effects of canine IFN-alpha, -beta and -gamma on canine cells infected with Neospora caninum tachyzoites. J Vet Med Sci 2001; 63:445-8. [PMID: 11346181 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.63.445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The growth inhibitory effects of recombinant canine interferon alpha (IFN-alpha), beta (IFN-beta) and gamma (IFN-gamma) were examined on Madin-Darby canine kidney cells infected with Neospora caninum tachyzoites. The parasite growth was inhibited by all IFNs in a dose-dependent manner. IFN-gamma inhibited the parasite growth with greater efficacy than IFN-alpha or IFN-beta. Moreover, the effect of IFNs on N. caninum growth associated with the suppression of the host cell viability. The present study indicates IFN-alpha and -beta, besides IFN-gamma, play a crucial role for N. caninum growth in host cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Y Nishikawa
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|