STUDIES OF THE IMMUNOLOGIC RESPONSES TO FILARIAL HELMINTH INFECTIONS

这个项目的目的是定义体液和细胞 与免疫病理学有关的免疫反应，保护性 淋巴管疾病患者的免疫及免疫诊断 丝虫病和丝虫病。 免疫球蛋白亚类的抗体表现出不同的相关性 具有班氏丝虫病临床表现的患者 患有象皮病的人有突出的IgG3抗丝虫病抗体和 最小的IgG4反应，而对于那些患有 无症状感染。 眼科疾病患者眼组织和眼液的研究 盘尾丝虫病表现为局部免疫球蛋白抗体生成活跃，但 很少或没有迹象表明IgE在这些疾病中起了致病作用 损伤。T细胞对虹膜的侵袭 抑制子/细胞毒表型(Leu 2a)，与研究结果相反 在大多数葡萄膜炎综合征中，但与普通葡萄膜炎一致 寄生虫特异性的原发T细胞免疫抑制 在盘尾丝虫病和淋巴丝虫病中均有表现。 嗜酸性粒细胞颗粒蛋白MBP，在骨质疏松症的病理过程中起重要作用 蠕虫感染，现在可以通过以下方式在组织中定义 免疫荧光和体液免疫分析 单克隆抗体。 患有盘尾丝虫病或班氏丝虫病的人群 进行了检查以定义免疫学参数，以区分 对受感染的人具有天然的免疫力。43Kd蛋白 来自感染幼虫的似乎是一种潜在的保护 Bancroftian丝虫病的免疫基因，特异性探针是 被生成以进一步研究它。

The purpose of this project is to define the humoral and cellular immune responses that relate to immunopathology, protective immunity and immunodiagnosis of patients with lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. Antibodies of the IgG subclasses appear differentially associated with the clinical manifestations of bancroftian filariasis; patients with elephantiasis have prominent IgG3 antifilarial antibodies and minimal IgG4 responses while the opposite is true for those with asymptomatic infection. Studies of eye tissue and fluid from patients with ocular onchocerciasis show active local IgG antibody production but little or no indication of a pathogenetic role for IgE in these lesions. T-cell infiltration of the iris is of the suppressor/cytotoxic phenotype (Leu 2a), opposite to the findings in most uveitis syndromes but consistent with the general parasite-specific, primary T-cell immunosuppression demonstrated in both onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. The eosinophil granule protein MBP, important in the pathology of helminth infections, can now be defined in tissues by immunofluorescence and in fluids by immunoassay with monoclonal antibodies. Populations with onchocerciasis or bancroftian filariasis have been examined to define immunologic parameters that distinguish 'naturally' immune form infected individuals. A 43Kd protein from infective larvae appears as a potential protective immunogen for bancroftian filariasis, and specific probes are being generated to study it further.