Cytokines, antibodies and histophathological profiles during Giardia infection and VSP-based vaccination

MARIANELA C SERRADELL; PABLO R GARGANTINI; ALICIA SAURA; SERGIO R OMS; LUCIANA BEROD; TIM SPARWASSER; HUGO D LUJÁN

INFECTION AND IMMUNITY

AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2018

0019-9567

iardiasis is one of the most common human intestinal diseases worldwide. Several experimental animals have been used to evaluate Giardia infections, with gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) being the most valuable model due to their high susceptibility to Giardia infection, abundant shedding of cysts, and pathophysiological alterations and signs of disease similar to those observed in humans. Here we report cytokine and antibody profiles both during the course of Giardia infection in gerbils and after immunization with a novel oral vaccine comprising a mixture of purified Variant-specific Surface Proteins (VSPs). Transcript levels of representative cytokines of different immune profiles as well as macro- and micro-tissue alterations were assessed in Peyer´s patches, mesenteric lymph nodes and spleens. During infection, cytokine responses showed a biphasic profile: an early induction of Th1 (IFN-, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF), Th17 (IL-17) and Th2 (IL-4) cytokines, together with int