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The memory B-cell (MBC) ELISpot assay is the main technique used to measure antigen-specific MBCs as a readout of humoral immune memory. This assay relies on the ability of MBCs to differentiate into antibody-secreting cells (ASC) upon polyclonal stimulation. The total number of IgG+ ASCs generated by mitogen-stimulation is often used as a reference point; alternatively antigen-specific MBCs are expressed as a frequency of post-culture peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as a surrogate for absolute frequencies. Therefore, it is important to know whether IgG+ B-cells are uniformly expanded during the preceding mitogen-culture as a true reflection of MBC frequencies ex vivo. We systematically compared B-cell phenotype and proportions before and after mitogen stimulation in cultures of 269 peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from 62 volunteers by flow cytometry and analyzed the number of resulting ASCs. Our data show that the number of total IgG+ ASCs detected by ELISpot after mitogen stimulation correlates with the proportion of IgG+ MBCs ex vivo, highlighting its general robustness for comparisons of study cohorts at group level. The expansion of total and IgG+ B-cells during mitogen-stimulation, however, was not identical in all cultures, but influenced by size and composition of the ex vivo B-cell compartment. The uncorrected readout of antigen-specific MBCs per million post-culture PBMCs therefore only preserves the quality, but not the magnitude of differences in the ex vivo MBC response between groups or time points, particularly when comparing samples where the B-cell compartment substantially differs between cohorts or over time. Therefore, expressing antigen-specific cells per total IgG+ ASCs is currently the best measure to correct for mitogen-culture effects. Additionally, baseline information on the size and composition of the ex vivo B-cell compartment should be supplied to additionally inform about differences or changes in the size and composition of the ex vivo MBC compartment.

In the murine model of Leishmania major infection, resistance or susceptibility to the parasite has been associated with the development of a Th1 or Th2 type of immune response. Recently, however, the immunosuppressive effects of IL-10 have been ascribed a crucial role in the development of the different clinical correlates of Leishmania infection in humans. Since T cells and professional APC are important cellular sources of IL-10, we compared leishmaniasis disease progression in T cell-specific, macrophage/neutrophil-specific and complete IL-10-deficient C57BL/6 as well as T cell-specific and complete IL-10-deficient BALB/c mice. As early as two weeks after infection of these mice with L. major, T cell-specific and complete IL-10-deficient animals showed significantly increased lesion development accompanied by a markedly elevated secretion of IFN-γ or IFN-γ and IL-4 in the lymph nodes draining the lesions of the C57BL/6 or BALB/c mutants, respectively. In contrast, macrophage/neutrophil-specific IL-10-deficient C57BL/6 mice did not show any altered phenotype. During the further course of disease, the T cell-specific as well as the complete IL-10-deficient BALB/c mice were able to control the infection. Furthermore, a dendritic cell-based vaccination against leishmaniasis efficiently suppresses the early secretion of IL-10, thus contributing to the control of parasite spread. Taken together, IL-10 secretion by T cells has an influence on immune activation early after infection and is sufficient to render BALB/c mice susceptible to an uncontrolled Leishmania major infection.