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Title: CRYPTOSPORIDIUM PARVUM INFECTION IN CALVES: ANALYSIS OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSEIN THE ILEAL MUCOSA AND REGIONAL LYMPH NODES

Author
item PASQUALI, PAOLO - UNIV. OF PERUGIA
item Fayer, Ronald
item Canals, Ana
item ALMERIA, SONIA - INIA
item Gasbarre, Louis

Submitted to: BARC Poster Day
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/28/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite able to cause severe diarrhea in young or immunocompromised mammals. Understanding of the immune response to this parasite is mainly based on the study of murine models. The aim of the present study was to investigate the immune response of calves following a primary infection with C. parvum. The calves were infected at 1 day of age and killed 7-8 days after infection, uninfected age-matched animals were used as negative controls . Ileo-cecal (IEL), lamina propria (LPL) and lymph node (LNL) lymphocytes were collected to analyze changes in expression of cell surface markers and cytokine mRNA gene expression. Phenotypic analysis showed few mature cells in the gut of control animals. Following infection, a significant increase of CD2+, CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ was seen in IEL; a significant increase of CD3+ and CD8+ in LPL and no changes in LNL. Local cytokine responses were analyzed by competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Infected animals showed an higher expression of IFN-gamma and IL12 (p40), whereas no consistent differences were seen when mRNA was analyses for IL10. The expression of IL2 and IL4 was very low for all the three populations. These results indicate that the immune response to C. parvum is mainly localized in the site of infection with minor involvement of regional lymph nodes.