Differential expression of enteric neuroimmune‐network in invasive and acute watery diarrhoea

We aimed to evaluate the changes of nerve morphology and distribution of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in the rectum of Shigella flexneri‐infected patients and in the duodenum of Vibrio cholerae O1‐infected patients. Nerve morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Immunoreactivity of nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in tissues were studied by immunohistochemistry. Ultrastructural analysis of intestinal biopsy revealed persisting axons degeneration throughout the study period in all patients. Regeneration was already evident at the acute stage with marked increase at late convalescence. Both acute shigellosis and cholera were accompanied by increased expression of NGF and histamine and decreased expression of serotonin that was restored at convalescence. Immunoreactivity of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) was increased during acute cholera, whereas in shigellosis VIP‐ and substance P‐immunoreactive nerves appeared at early convalescence. Both shigellosis and cholera induced long‐lasting degeneration of enteric neuronal axons, despite the presence of ongoing proliferation and regeneration processes. Neurotransmitters and neuropeptides may play differential roles in invasive and watery diarrhoea.