Filarial Infection Suppresses Malaria-Specific Multifunctional Th1 and Th17 Responses in Malaria and Filarial Coinfections

Malaria and Filarial Coinfections Multifunctional Th1 and Th17 Responses in Filarial Infection Suppresses Malaria-Specific

Filarial Lymphedema Is Characterized by Antigen-Specific Th1 and Th17 Proinflammatory Responses and a Lack of Regulatory T Cells

BACKGROUND Lymphatic filariasis can be associated with development of serious pathology in the form of lymphedema, hydrocele, and elephantiasis in a subset of infected patients. METHODS AND FINDINGS To elucidate the role of CD4(+) T cell subsets in the development of lymphatic pathology, we examined specific sets of cytokines in individuals with filarial lymphedema in response to parasite ant...

Patent filarial infection modulates malaria-specific type 1 cytokine responses in an IL-10-dependent manner in a filaria/malaria-coinfected population.

The effect of filarial infections on malaria-specific immune responses was investigated in Malian villages coendemic for filariasis (Fil) and malaria. Cytokines were measured from plasma and Ag-stimulated whole blood from individuals with Wuchereria bancrofti and/or Mansonella perstans infections (Fil(+); n = 19) and those without evidence of filarial infection (Fil(-); n = 19). Plasma levels o...

Mosquito Infection Responses to Developing Filarial Worms

Human lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-vectored disease caused by the nematode parasites Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and Brugia timori. These are relatively large roundworms that can cause considerable damage in compatible mosquito vectors. In order to assess how mosquitoes respond to infection in compatible mosquito-filarial worm associations, microarray analysis was used to evaluate...

Malaria-filaria coinfection in mice makes malarial disease more severe unless filarial infection achieves patency.

Coinfections are common in natural populations, and the literature suggests that helminth coinfection readily affects how the immune system manages malaria. For example, type 1-dependent control of malaria parasitemia might be impaired by the type 2 milieu of preexisting helminth infection. Alternatively, immunomodulatory effects of helminths might affect the likelihood of malarial immunopathol...