N. Wellinghausen et al., Interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10 and IL-12 profile in serum of patients with alveolar echinococcosis, ACT TROP, 73(2), 1999, pp. 165-174
Alveolar echinococcosis (AE), caused by Echinococcus multilocularis (E.m.),
provokes a characteristic immune response. Based mainly on in vitro studie
s, Th2 dominated immunity is associated with increased susceptibility to di
sease, while Th1 cell activation is assumed to induce protective immunity.
We investigated serum levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and IL-12 in 40
AE patients and 20 controls to assess Th1/Th2 cell activation in vivo. Sign
ificantly higher levels of IL-10 were found in AE patients (P = 0.003) than
in controls, with a tendency to higher concentrations in progressive cases
. In contrast, IL-4 was only measurable in a minority of patients and contr
ols. IL-12 levels (measured with an ELISA that detects both the p35/p40 het
erodimer and free p40) were comparable between AE patients and controls and
showed a similar distribution pattern to IL-10 with regard to disease prog
ression. By using an IL-12-ELISA specific for the heterodimer, only minute
amounts of IL-12 were detectable in merely a minority of samples. In conclu
sion, our data are suggestive of Th2 dominated immune response in AE in viv
o. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.