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Development of an Animal Model for Neurocysticercosis: Immune Response in the Central Nervous System Is Characterized by a Predominance of T Cells¹

Astrid E. Cardona^*, Blanca I. Restrepo^*,, Juan M. Jaramillo^*, and Judy M. Teale^2,*

^* Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78284; and Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas, Medellín, Colombia

Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic disease of the central nervous system worldwide. It is caused by the metacestode form of the helminth Taenia solium. Study of the immune response in the human brain has been limited by the chronic progression of the disease, the influence of corticosteroid treatment, and the scarcity of patients who undergo surgical intervention. To better understand the immune response and associated pathology in neurocysticercosis, a mouse model was developed by intracranial infection of BALB/c mice with Mesocestoides corti, a cestode organism related to T. solium. The immune response reveals the presence of abundant inflammatory infiltrates appearing as early as 2 days postinfection in extraparenchymal regions. In contrast, infiltration of immune cells into parenchymal tissue is significantly delayed. There is a natural progression of innate (neutrophils and macrophages), early induced (NK cells and T cells), and adaptive immune responses (ß T cells and B cells) in infected mice. T cells are the predominant T cell population. A cell-mediated Th1 pathway of cytokine expression is evident in contrast to the previously described Th2 phenotype induced in the periphery.