Interleukin-12 Protects Mice against Disseminated Infection Caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis but Enhances Pulmonary Inflammation
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a facultative, intracellular pathogen causing the most important deep mycosis in Latin America. As the production of IFN-γ and induction of cell-mediated immunity to P. brasiliensis is of critical importance in host defense, the immunotherapeutic effect of exogenous...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2002-05, Vol.103 (2), p.185-195 |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a facultative, intracellular pathogen causing the most important deep mycosis in Latin America. As the production of IFN-γ and induction of cell-mediated immunity to P. brasiliensis is of critical importance in host defense, the immunotherapeutic effect of exogenous IL-12 administration was studied in a murine model of susceptibility to pulmonary infection. rIL-12 treatment led to a less disseminated disease, as confirmed by decreased fungal loads in liver and spleen. Administration of rIL-12 did not affect fungal growth in the lungs, although it did induce an augmented pulmonary mononuclear cell inflammation. IL-12 treatment induced an early (week 1) increase in pulmonary IFN-γ, but decreased cytokine and specific antibody (IgG1 and IgG3) production at week 8 after infection. These results show that IL-12 administration induces a less severe infection, but the high inflammatory response detected in the lungs precludes its possible use as a new therapeutic tool for severe paracoccidioidomycosis. |
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ISSN: | 1521-6616 1521-7035 |
DOI: | 10.1006/clim.2002.5207 |