EOSINOPHILIA AND INTRACRANIAL WORM RECOVERY IN INTERLEUKIN-5 TRANSGENIC AND INTERLEUKIN-5 RECEPTOR-ALPHA CHAIN-KNOCKOUT MICE INFECTED WITH ANGIOSTRONGYLUS-CANTONENSIS
H. Sugaya et al., EOSINOPHILIA AND INTRACRANIAL WORM RECOVERY IN INTERLEUKIN-5 TRANSGENIC AND INTERLEUKIN-5 RECEPTOR-ALPHA CHAIN-KNOCKOUT MICE INFECTED WITH ANGIOSTRONGYLUS-CANTONENSIS, Parasitology research, 83(6), 1997, pp. 583-590
We infected interleukin-5 (IL-5)-transgenic (IL-5-Tg) and IL-5 recepto
r alpha knockout (IL-5R alpha(-/-)) mice with Angiostrongylus cantonen
sis to determine the possible roles of IL-5 and eosinophils in A. cant
onensis infection in mice. IL-5-Tg mice demonstrated significantly hig
her eosinophilia in bone marrow, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF),
lower intracranial worm recovery and smaller female worms than naive C
3H/HeN mice. Both IL-5-Tg and C3H/HeN mice evoked antigen-specific ser
um and CSF IgA antibody responses as early as days 5 and 7 postinfecti
on, respectively. Prominent eosinophil infiltration was noted around i
ntracranial worms in the subarachnoid spaces of the mouse brains; eosi
nophils adhering to the worm surface were degranulated. In contrast, I
L-5R alpha(-/-) mice yielded a higher worm recovery than wild-type or
heterozygous mice at day 20 postinfection and failed to provoke CSF eo
sinophilia. These findings indicate that A. cantonensis infection in t
he mouse causes IL-5 production and subsequent CSF eosinophilia, the l
atter probably being involved in the killing of intracranial worms.