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The Schistosoma mansoni hepatic egg granuloma provides a favorable microenvironment for sustained growth of Leishmania donovani.
- Source :
-
The American journal of pathology [Am J Pathol] 2006 Sep; Vol. 169 (3), pp. 943-53. - Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- Parasitic co-infections are prevalent in many parts of the world. However, relatively little is known about how an underlying infection may impact on the host's ability to control a newly acquired parasite, especially if both infect the same organ. We have studied this using an experimental co-infection model in C57BL/6 mice involving Schistosoma mansoni and Leishmania donovani, two important human pathogens affecting the liver. We show that mice with established S. mansoni infections fail to control L. donovani growth in the liver and spleen. The failure occurs despite the development of a functional anti-L. donovani Th1 response that can mediate granuloma formation and effective clearance of amastigotes from foci of infection in the hepatic parenchyma. Instead, anti-leishmanial immunity fails within the S. mansoni egg granuloma, consistent with a lack of L. donovani granuloma assembly in this tissue microenvironment and consequent lack of NO production. Persisting amastigote replication in the S. mansoni egg granulomas may thus explain the increased L. donovani burden in the liver and spleen. These results may have implications for human S. mansoni and L. donovani co-infections and also demonstrate that granulomatous tissue responses to helminth organisms can form a discrete niche facilitating survival of intracellular pathogens.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Female
Granuloma epidemiology
Granuloma parasitology
Granuloma pathology
Humans
Leishmania donovani immunology
Leishmaniasis, Visceral complications
Leishmaniasis, Visceral epidemiology
Leishmaniasis, Visceral pathology
Liver immunology
Liver parasitology
Liver pathology
Liver Diseases, Parasitic epidemiology
Liver Diseases, Parasitic pathology
Mice
Nitric Oxide immunology
Ovum immunology
Prevalence
Schistosomiasis mansoni complications
Schistosomiasis mansoni epidemiology
Schistosomiasis mansoni pathology
Spleen immunology
Spleen parasitology
Spleen pathology
Th1 Cells immunology
Th1 Cells pathology
Granuloma immunology
Leishmania donovani growth & development
Leishmaniasis, Visceral immunology
Liver Diseases, Parasitic immunology
Schistosoma mansoni immunology
Schistosomiasis mansoni immunology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0002-9440
- Volume :
- 169
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The American journal of pathology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 16936268
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2353/ajpath.2006.051319