Immunity, Sex and Parasites: Does Sex of Sand-Field Cricket (Gryllus firmus) Affect Immune Response to Eugregarine Parasites?

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Field Cricket ◽  
Host Manipulation ◽  
Parasite Abundance ◽  
Gryllus Firmus ◽  
Parasite Number ◽  
Sexual Selection Theory

There is controversy about the effects gut-dwelling eugregarine parasites have on their invertebrate hosts. If crickets (Gryllus firmus) apportion resources to reproduction differently in males vs. females, then resources used to mount immune responses to parasites may also differ – especially if the parasites are pathogenic. I investigated the possible differences in immune response between male and female crickets and attempted to determine whether these differences are related to intensity of parasitic infection. To do this, pieces of nylon filament were implanted into the hemocoel of crickets which tested the immune response where hemocytes surround the filament (encapsulation). These responses were compared to intensity of parasitic infection. No statistically significant relationship between sex and melanisation, or sex and parasite load were found. I found that the duration of melanization was negatively correlated to parasite abundance and that there was a positive correlation between body size and parasite number. This result suggests the existence of a relationship between the parasite and host that could be conflicting with sexual selection theory, such as host manipulation by the parasite.

scholarly journals Prior exposure to long-day photoperiods alters immune responses and increases susceptibility to parasitic infection in stickleback

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1930) ◽  
pp. 20201017
Author(s):  
James R. Whiting ◽  
Muayad A. Mahmud ◽  
Janette E. Bradley ◽  
Andrew D. C. MacColl
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Previous Exposure ◽  
Parasite Abundance ◽  
Susceptibility To Infection ◽  
Long Day ◽  
Host Parasite

Seasonal disease and parasitic infection are common across organisms, including humans, and there is increasing evidence for intrinsic seasonal variation in immune systems. Changes are orchestrated through organisms' physiological clocks using cues such as day length. Ample research in diverse taxa has demonstrated multiple immune responses are modulated by photoperiod, but to date, there have been few experimental demonstrations that photoperiod cues alter susceptibility to infection. We investigated the interactions among photoperiod history, immunity and susceptibility in laboratory-bred three-spined stickleback (a long-day breeding fish) and its external, directly reproducing monogenean parasite Gyrodactylus gasterostei . We demonstrate that previous exposure to long-day photoperiods (PLD) increases susceptibility to infection relative to previous exposure to short days (PSD), and modifies the response to infection for the mucin gene muc2 and Treg cytokine foxp3a in skin tissues in an intermediate 12 L : 12 D photoperiod experimental trial. Expression of skin muc2 is reduced in PLD fish, and negatively associated with parasite abundance. We also observe inflammatory gene expression variation associated with natural inter-population variation in resistance, but find that photoperiod modulation of susceptibility is consistent across host populations. Thus, photoperiod modulation of the response to infection is important for host susceptibility, highlighting new mechanisms affecting seasonality of host–parasite interactions.

Immunocompetence in workers of a social insect, Bombus terrestris L., in relation to foraging activity and parasitic infection

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 1060-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudie Doums ◽  
Paul Schmid-Hempel
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Intestinal Parasite ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
General Mechanism ◽  
Immune Defence ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Crithidia Bombi

The immune system is a general mechanism that reduces the fitness cost of parasitism. In this study, we examined variation in immune responses under natural conditions in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Using 14 colonies reared in the field, we compared the immune response to an artificial implant between workers that could or could not forage (86 control and 91 nonforaging workers). Foraging activity was prevented by cutting a large part of the wings. As expected, control workers had lower immune responses than nonforaging workers in 10 of 14 colonies. Overall, the treatment effect was significant even though weak, suggestive of a trade-off between immune defence and foraging activity. We also examined the environmental factors that might covary with the immune response in workers. The immune response significantly decreased in workers that were naturally infected by the intestinal parasite Crithidia bombi and increased with a measure of colony success, the maximum number of workers. These correlations suggest that the strength of immune responses reflects individual, and hence colony condition.

Oral Immune Activation by Disgust and Disease-Related Pictures

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Stevenson ◽  
Deborah Hodgson ◽  
Megan J. Oaten ◽  
Luba Sominsky ◽  
Mehmet Mahmut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Innate Immune Response ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Innate Immune Responses ◽  
Immune Markers ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Secondary Analyses ◽  
Image Set

Abstract. Both disgust and disease-related images appear able to induce an innate immune response but it is unclear whether these effects are independent or rely upon a common shared factor (e.g., disgust or disease-related cognitions). In this study we directly compared these two inductions using specifically generated sets of images. One set was disease-related but evoked little disgust, while the other set was disgust evoking but with less disease-relatedness. These two image sets were then compared to a third set, a negative control condition. Using a wholly within-subject design, participants viewed one image set per week, and provided saliva samples, before and after each viewing occasion, which were later analyzed for innate immune markers. We found that both the disease related and disgust images, relative to the negative control images, were not able to generate an innate immune response. However, secondary analyses revealed innate immune responses in participants with greater propensity to feel disgust following exposure to disease-related and disgusting images. These findings suggest that disgust images relatively free of disease-related themes, and disease-related images relatively free of disgust may be suboptimal cues for generating an innate immune response. Not only may this explain why disgust propensity mediates these effects, it may also imply a common pathway.

Dynamics of T Cells Repertoire During Trypanosoma cruzi Infection and its Post-Treatment Modulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (36) ◽  
pp. 6519-6543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Egui ◽  
Paola Lasso ◽  
Elena Pérez-Antón ◽  
M. Carmen Thomas ◽  
Manuel Carlos López
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Chronic Phase ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Chronic Patients ◽  
Cruzi Infection

Chagas disease courses with different clinical phases and has a variable clinical presentation and progression. The acute infection phase mostly exhibits a non-specific symptomatology. In the absence of treatment, the acute phase is followed by a chronic phase, which is initially asymptomatic. This chronic asymptomatic phase of the disease is characterized by a fragile balance between the host’s immune response and the parasite replication. The loss of this balance is crucial for the progression of the sickness. The virulence and tropism of the T. cruzi infecting strain together to the inflammation processes in the cardiac tissue are the main factors for the establishment and severity of the cardiomyopathy. The efficacy of treatment in chronic Chagas disease patients is controversial. However, several studies carried out in chronic patients demonstrated that antiparasitic treatment reduces parasite load in the bloodstream and leads to an improvement in the immune response against the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite. The present review is mainly focused on the cellular patterns associated to the clinical status and the evolution of the disease in chronic patients, as well as the effectiveness of the treatment related to T. cruzi infection control. Therefore, an emphasis is placed on the dynamics of specific-antigens T cell subpopulations, their memory and activation phenotypes, their functionality and their contribution to pathogenesis or disease control, as well as their association with risk of congenital transmission of the parasite.

scholarly journals Coupled complementation of immune response genes controlling responsiveness to the H-2.2 alloantigen.

1977 ◽  
Vol 146 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
M E Dorf ◽  
J H Stimpfling
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Humoral Response ◽  
Mixed Lymphocyte Culture ◽  
Lymphocyte Culture ◽  
F1 Hybrids ◽  
Gene Control ◽  
Low Responder ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
High Level

The ability of various B10 congenic resistant strains to respond to the alloantigen H-2.2 was tested. High and low antibody-producing strains were distinguished by their anti-H-2.2 hemagglutinating respones. However, these strains do not differ in their ability to respond to these antigenic differences in the mixed lymphocyte culture. The humoral response to the H-2.2 alloantigen was shown to be controlled by two interacting genes localized within the H-2 complex. Thus, F1 hybrids prepared between parental low responder strains could yield high level immune responses. In addition, strains bearing recombinant H-2 haplotypes were used to map the two distinct genes controlling the immune response. The alleles at each locus were shown to be highly polymorphic as evidenced by the asymmetric complementation patterns observed. The restricted interactions of specific alleles was termed coupled complementation. The significance of the results in the terms of mechanisms of Ir gene control are discussed.

scholarly journals Maintenance of Type 2 Response by CXCR6-Deficient ILC2 in Papain-Induced Lung Inflammation

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meunier ◽  
Chea ◽  
Garrido ◽  
Perchet ◽  
Petit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Nk Cell ◽  
Lymphoid Cells ◽  
Inflammatory Conditions ◽  
Airway Diseases ◽  
Type 2 Cytokines ◽  
Lymphoid Organogenesis ◽  
Deficient Mice

Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) are important players of early immune defenses in situations like lymphoid organogenesis or in case of immune response to inflammation, infection and cancer. Th1 and Th2 antagonism is crucial for the regulation of immune responses, however mechanisms are still unclear for ILC functions. ILC2 and NK cells were reported to be both involved in allergic airway diseases and were shown to be able to interplay in the regulation of the immune response. CXCR6 is a common chemokine receptor expressed by all ILC, and its deficiency affects ILC2 and ILC1/NK cell numbers and functions in lungs in both steady-state and inflammatory conditions. We determined that the absence of a specific ILC2 KLRG1+ST2– subset in CXCR6-deficient mice is probably dependent on CXCR6 for its recruitment to the lung under inflammation. We show that despite their decreased numbers, lung CXCR6-deficient ILC2 are even more activated cells producing large amount of type 2 cytokines that could drive eosinophilia. This is strongly associated to the decrease of the lung Th1 response in CXCR6-deficient mice.

scholarly journals Combining Oncolytic Viruses and Small Molecule Therapeutics: Mutual Benefits

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3386
Author(s):  
Bart Spiesschaert ◽  
Katharina Angerer ◽  
John Park ◽  
Guido Wollmann
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Antiviral Immunity ◽  
Oncolytic Viruses ◽  
Antitumor Immune Response ◽  
Antiviral Responses ◽  
Small Molecule Therapeutics ◽  
Immunosuppressive Factors

The focus of treating cancer with oncolytic viruses (OVs) has increasingly shifted towards achieving efficacy through the induction and augmentation of an antitumor immune response. However, innate antiviral responses can limit the activity of many OVs within the tumor and several immunosuppressive factors can hamper any subsequent antitumor immune responses. In recent decades, numerous small molecule compounds that either inhibit the immunosuppressive features of tumor cells or antagonize antiviral immunity have been developed and tested for. Here we comprehensively review small molecule compounds that can achieve therapeutic synergy with OVs. We also elaborate on the mechanisms by which these treatments elicit anti-tumor effects as monotherapies and how these complement OV treatment.

scholarly journals The immune response of T cells and therapeutic targets related to regulating the levels of T helper cells after ischaemic stroke

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian-Yu Lei ◽  
Ying-Ze Ye ◽  
Xi-Qun Zhu ◽  
Daniel Smerin ◽  
Li-Juan Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
T Cells ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Ischaemic Stroke ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Tissue Injury ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Vital Functions ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

AbstractThrough considerable effort in research and clinical studies, the immune system has been identified as a participant in the onset and progression of brain injury after ischaemic stroke. Due to the involvement of all types of immune cells, the roles of the immune system in stroke pathology and associated effects are complicated. Past research concentrated on the functions of monocytes and neutrophils in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke and tried to demonstrate the mechanisms of tissue injury and protection involving these immune cells. Within the past several years, an increasing number of studies have elucidated the vital functions of T cells in the innate and adaptive immune responses in both the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. Recently, the phenotypes of T cells with proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory function have been demonstrated in detail. T cells with distinctive phenotypes can also influence cerebral inflammation through various pathways, such as regulating the immune response, interacting with brain-resident immune cells and modulating neurogenesis and angiogenesis during different phases following stroke. In view of the limited treatment options available following stroke other than tissue plasminogen activator therapy, understanding the function of immune responses, especially T cell responses, in the post-stroke recovery period can provide a new therapeutic direction. Here, we discuss the different functions and temporal evolution of T cells with different phenotypes during the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. We suggest that modulating the balance between the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions of T cells with distinct phenotypes may become a potential therapeutic approach that reduces the mortality and improves the functional outcomes and prognosis of patients suffering from ischaemic stroke.

scholarly journals Vaccination strategy and anti - SARS-CoV-2 S titers in healthcare workers of the INT – IRCCS “Fondazione Pascale” Cancer Center (Naples, Italy)

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesta Cavalcanti ◽  
Maria Antonietta Isgrò ◽  
Domenica Rea ◽  
Lucia Di Capua ◽  
Giusy Trillò ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Humoral Immune ◽  
History Of

Abstract Background Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the resulting disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have spread to millions of people globally, requiring the development of billions of different vaccine doses. The SARS-CoV-2 spike mRNA vaccine (named BNT162b2/Pfizer), authorized by the FDA, has shown high efficacy in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection after administration of two doses in individuals 16 years of age and older. In the present study, we retrospectively evaluated the differences in the SARS-CoV-2 humoral immune response after vaccine administration in the two different cohorts of workers at the INT - IRCCS “Fondazione Pascale” Cancer Center (Naples, Italy): previously infected to SARS-CoV-2 subjects and not infected to SARS-CoV-2 subjects. Methods We determined specific anti-RBD (receptor-binding domain) titers against trimeric spike glycoprotein (S) of SARS-CoV-2 by Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S immunoassay in serum samples of 35 healthcare workers with a previous documented history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 158 healthcare workers without, after 1 and 2 doses of vaccine, respectively. Moreover, geometric mean titers and relative fold changes (FC) were calculated. Results Both previously infected and not infected to SARS-CoV-2 subjects developed significant immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 after the administration of 1 and 2 doses of vaccine, respectively. Anti-S antibody responses to the first dose of vaccine were significantly higher in previously SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects in comparison to titers of not infected subjects after the first as well as the second dose of vaccine. Fold changes for subjects previously infected to SARS-CoV-2 was very modest, given the high basal antibody titer, as well as the upper limit of 2500.0 BAU/mL imposed by the Roche methods. Conversely, for naïve subjects, mean fold change following the first dose was low ($$ \overline{x} $$ x ¯ =1.6), reaching 3.8 FC in 72 subjects (45.6%) following the second dose. Conclusions The results showed that, as early as the first dose, SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals developed a remarkable and statistically significant immune response in comparison to those who did not contract the virus previously, suggesting the possibility of administering only one dose in previously SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects. FC for previously infected subjects should not be taken into account for the generally high pre-vaccination values. Conversely, FC for not infected subjects, after the second dose, were = 3.8 in > 45.0% of vaccinees, and ≤ 3.1 in 19.0%, the latter showing a potential susceptibility to further SARS-CoV-2 infection.

scholarly journals Multivariate Abundance Analysis of Multi-Host/Multi-Parasite Lungworms in a Sympatric Wild Ruminant Population

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Tessa Carrau ◽  
Carlos Martínez-Carrasco ◽  
María Magdalena Garijo ◽  
Francisco Alonso ◽  
Rocío Ruiz de Ybáñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Level ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Fallow Deer ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Marginal Effect ◽  
Wild Ruminant ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Parasite Abundance ◽  
Associated Risk Factors ◽  
Natural Dynamics

In the analysis of a multi-host/multi-parasite system and its associated risk factors, it is particularly interesting to understand the natural dynamics among pathogens, their hosts, and the environment in wildlife populations. This analysis is particularly feasible in a scenario where multiple overlapping host populations are present in high densities, along with a complex community of parasites. We aimed to describe and analyze the naturally occurring lungworm polyparasitism in a wild ruminant community in Southeast Spain. The respiratory tracts of 250 specimens belonging to four different species (red deer, mouflon, Iberian ibex, and fallow deer) were studied. Almost half (48.0%) of the animals were infected with bronchopulmonary nematodes. Seven different nematodes were identified of which two genera (Protostrongylus spp. and Dictyocaulus spp.) and three additional species (Cystocaulus ocreatus, Muellerius capillaris, and Neostrongylus linearis) were recorded in at least two ruminants, with the mouflon as the commonest host. Our study shows a significant effect of host species and sampling area, plus a marginal effect of age, on parasite multivariate abundance at the host population level. Mouflon and adults of all hosts appear to carry the highest parasite load on average. From a spatial perspective, the highest parasite abundance was detected at the central part of the park.

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