Cytokine response in Balb/c mice infected with Francisella tularensis LVS and the Pohang isolate.
- Author:
Eun Ju KIM
1
;
Sang Hee PARK
;
Young Sill CHOI
;
Soo Kyoung SHIM
;
Mi Yeoun PARK
;
Man Suck PARK
;
Kyu Jam HWANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
- Keywords: Balb/c; F. tularensis; IFN-gamma; IL-12; TNF-alpha
- MeSH: Animals; *Bacterial Vaccines; Cytokines/*biosynthesis; Francisella tularensis/immunology/isolation & purification/*pathogenicity; Humans; Interferon-gamma/genetics/metabolism; Interleukins/genetics/metabolism; Korea; Liver/microbiology/pathology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Tularemia/*diagnosis/*immunology; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics/metabolism
- From:Journal of Veterinary Science 2008;9(3):309-315
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: We investigated the immune response induced by the Francisella (F.) tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) and the Pohang isolate. After the Balb/c mice were infected intradermally (i.d) with 2 x 10(4) cfu of F. tularensis LVS and Pohang, respectively, their blood and organs were collected at different times; 0, 3, 6, 24, 72, 96, 120 and 168 h after infection. Using these samples, RT-PCR and ELISA analysis were carried out for the comparative study of the cytokines, including TNF-alpha, INF-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12. In the Pohang-infected mice at 120 h, the liver showed a 53 times higher level of TNF-alpha and a 42 times higher level of IFN-gamma than the respective levels at the early time points after infection. The levels of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma induced by LVS were 5 times lower than those induced by the Pohang isolate. Also, the organs from the Pohang-infected mice showed higher levels of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-10 and IL-12 than the levels in the LVS-infected mice. The blood from the Pohang-infected mice at 120 h revealed about a 40 times increased level of IFN-gamma, and IL-10 was also increased by 4 times at 96 h compared to an early infection time point, while IL-4 was not induced during the whole infection period. These results suggest that F. tularensis may induce a Th1-mediated immune response to in vivo infection and the Pohang isolate has a higher capacity than the LVS to induce an acute immune response in Blab/c mice.
