The JI
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     
 


This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Long, M. T.
Right arrow Articles by Baszler, T. V.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Long, M. T.
Right arrow Articles by Baszler, T. V.
The Journal of Immunology, 2000, 164: 4768-4774.
Copyright © 2000 by The American Association of Immunologists

Neutralization of Maternal IL-4 Modulates Congenital Protozoal Transmission: Comparison of Innate Versus Acquired Immune Responses1

Maureen T. Long2,* and Timothy V. Baszler{dagger}

* Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610; and {dagger} Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164

IL-4 levels were modulated in mice to test the hypothesis that induction of a maternal type 1 response would decrease the frequency of congenital Neospora caninum transmission. This hypothesis tested the relationship between IL-4 and both innate and adaptive immunity utilizing two basic experimental designs. In the first, maternal IL-4 was neutralized with mAb during pregnancy in naive mice concomitant with initial, virulent infection. In the second, maternal IL-4 was neutralized before pregnancy concomitant with a priming inoculation consisting of live, avirulent N. caninum tachyzoites followed by virulent challenge during subsequent gestation. In mice that were naive before pregnancy, neutralization of IL-4 during gestational challenge did not result in decreased congenital transmission as measured by PCR performed on 1-day-old neonatal mice. In mice that were primed and modulated before pregnancy, congenital transmission from gestational challenge was significantly decreased compared with control mice. Reduction in transmission constituted a decrease in the numbers of mice transmitting N. caninum and a lower frequency of transmission by individual dams (p < 0.05). Decreased congenital transmission was associated with significantly lower levels of maternal splenocyte IL-4 secretion, lower IL-4 mRNA levels, and higher levels of IFN-{gamma} secretion. Protected mice had significantly decreased Neospora-specific IgG1 compared with nonmodulated mice. These studies define a relationship between maternal Ag-specific immunity and the frequency of congenital transmission and demonstrate that modulation of type 2 cytokine responses can change the frequency of congenital protozoal transmission.







HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Website Copyright © 2000 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. All rights reserved.
All Contents Copyright © 2000 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. All rights reserved.