Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1-2
pubmed:dateCreated
1999-10-26
pubmed:abstractText
Dogs are the domestic reservoirs of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum. Early detection of canine infections evolving to clinically patent disease may be important to leishmaniasis control. In this study we firstly investigated the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) response to leishmanial antigens and to polyclonal activators concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen, of mixed-breed dogs with natural L. infantum infection, either in presymptomatic or in patent disease condition, compared to healthy animals. Leishmania antigens did not induce a clear proliferative response in any of the animals examined. Furthermore, mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation was found strongly reduced not only in symptomatic, but also in presymptomatic dogs suggesting that the cell-mediated immunity is suppressed in progressive canine leishmaniasis. To test this finding, naive Beagle dogs were exposed to natural L. infantum infection in a highly endemic area of southern Italy. Two to 10 months after exposure all dogs were found to be infected by Leishmania, and on month 2 of exposure they all showed a significant reduction in PBMC activation by mitogens. Our results indicate that suppression of the lymphoproliferative response is a common occurrence in dogs already at the beginning of an established leishmanial infection.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
0165-2427
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
70
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
95-103
pubmed:dateRevised
2003-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1999
pubmed:articleTitle
Early suppression of lymphoproliferative response in dogs with natural infection by Leishmania infantum.
pubmed:affiliation
Istituto di Clinica Medica Veterinaria, Università Federico II, Naples, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article