AJTMH HINARI
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 45(6), 1991, pp. 734-742
Copyright © 1991 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
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
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gottstein, B.
Right arrow Articles by Lanier, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gottstein, B.
Right arrow Articles by Lanier, A.

Specific Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses in Patients with Different Long-Term Courses of Alveolar Echinococcosis (Infection with Echinococcus Multilocularis)

Bruno Gottstein, Barbara Mesarina, Isabelle Tanner, Rudole W. Ammann, Joseph F. Wilson, Johannes Eckert AND Anne Lanier
Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Gastroenterology Service, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland, Departments of Surgery and Medicine, Alaska Native Medical Center, Indian Health Service, Anchorage, Alaska; Arctic Investigations Laboratory, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Anchorage, Alaska

Alveolar echinococcosis is a serious and often fatal disease of humans that in most cases can be efficiently cured only by complete surgical resection of the Echinococcus multilocularis lesion. In a few patients, however, a spontaneous cure of the disease has been observed by demonstrating the presence of lesions with dead metacestodes. The present study shows a comparative analysis of the cellular (lymphoproliferative assay) and humoral (antibody activity in an Em2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] and immunoblotting) immune response in 1) patients who were cured by a radical surgical resection of the E. multilocularis parasite lesion, 2) patients who had a partial surgical resection of the parasite lesion, 3) patients who had a non-resectable alveolar echinococosis, and 4) patients who were shown to be spontaneously cured and had lesions with dead parasites. The in vitro lymphoproliferative response to E. multilocularis antigen stimulation was very high in cured patients who had radical surgery or in patients with lesions containing dead parasites, but it was significantly lower in patients who had partial surgical or no resection. Antibody concentrations in the Em2-ELISA were high in patients who had incomplete or no surgery, and low or negative in cured patients who had radical surgery or in patients with lesions containing dead parasites. Immunoblot analysis of patient sera revealed a consistent antibody banding pattern among cured patients with radical surgery and patients with incomplete or no surgery, whereas cured patients with lesions containing dead parasites showed a very faint antibody pattern. The distinct differences in the parasite-specific humoral and cellular immune status between self-cured patients and other patient groups with different courses of alveolar echinococcosis may provide insight into potentially protective immune mechanisms.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Clin. Microbiol. Rev.Home page
A. D'Alessandro and R. L. Rausch
New Aspects of Neotropical Polycystic (Echinococcus vogeli) and Unicystic (Echinococcus oligarthrus) Echinococcosis
Clin. Microbiol. Rev., April 1, 2008; 21(2): 380 - 401.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Int ImmunolHome page
B. J. Manfras, S. Reuter, T. Wendland, B. O. Boehm, and P. Kern
Impeded Th1 CD4 memory T cell generation in chronic-persisting liver infection with Echinococcus multilocularis
Int. Immunol., January 1, 2004; 16(1): 43 - 50.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1991 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.