Oral LPS Dosing Induces Local Immunological Changes in the Pancreatic Lymph Nodes in Mice.

Lacking the initial contact between the immune system and microbial-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), early in life, may be regarded as one of the causal factors of the increasing global increase in the incidence of autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes (T1D). Previously, a reduced incidence of T1D accompanied by dramatically increased abundances of both the mucin-metabolising bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila, and LPS-carrying Proteobacteria was observed, when vancomycin was given to pups of nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. While the T1D incidence reducing effect of A. muciniphila has been shown in further studies, little is known as to whether the increased abundance of LPS-carrying bacteria also has a protective effect. Therefore, we fed NOD pups with Eschericia coli LPS orally from birth to weaning, which decreased the gene expressions of TNFα, IL-10, IL-6, IFNγ, IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-4, and FoxP3 in the pancreatic lymph nodes, while the same gene expression profile in the spleen was unaffected. However, no significant difference in the incidence of T1D, gut microbiota composition, or ileum expression of the genetic markers of gut permeability, Claudin8, Occludin, Zonulin-1 (Tjp1), Claudin15, Muc1, and Muc2 were observed in relation to LPS ingestion. It is, therefore, concluded that early life oral E. coli LPS has an impact on the local immune response, which, however, did not influence T1D incidence in NOD mice later in life.

Absence of Pneumocystis jirovecii Colonization in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Individuals With and Without Airway Obstruction and With Undetectable Viral Load.

Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization has been associated with non-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) pulmonary comorbidity. We used spirometry to measure pulmonary function and analyzed oral wash specimens by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), targeting the large mitochondrial ribosomal subunit. For sensitivity control, a blinded subsample was subjected to touch-down PCRs, targeting both large and small ribosomal subunits and the major surface glycoprotein. Pneumocystis jirovecii deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was detected in 1 of 156 (95% confidence interval, .1%-3.5%) virologically suppressed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals confirmed by all PCR methods. Thus, prevalence of P jirovecii colonization was low and unlikely to be a major cause of pulmonary comorbidity in this group of well treated HIV-infected individuals.

Schistosoma haematobium infection and asymptomatic bacteriuria in young South African females.

Schistosoma haematobium eggs can induce lesions in the urinary and genital tract epithelia, as eggs pass through or get trapped in the tissue. Local inflammatory reactions induced by S. haematobium eggs might affect the ability of bacteria to establish mucosal super-infection foci. S. haematobium infection and asymptomatic bacteriuria can both portray haematuria, proteinuria and leukocyturia. This shared set of proxy diagnostic markers could fuel routine misdiagnosis in S. haematobium endemic areas. Furthermore, S. haematobium infected individuals might be at a higher risk of contracting bacterial urinary tract infections, which could manifest either as symptomatic or asymptomatic bacteriuria. The aim of the current study was to explore whether schistosomal lesions are susceptible to super-infection by bacteria measured as asymptomatic bacteriuria. S. haematobium infection was determined by microscopy of urine samples. Furthermore, urine samples were tested with dipslides for asymptomatic bacteriuria and with dipsticks for haematuria, proteinuria and leukocytes. We found no association between asymptomatic bacteriuria and S. haematobium infection in a sample of 1040 female primary and high school students from a schistosomiasis endemic area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that asymptomatic bacteriuria is not a bias for use of micro-haematuria as a proxy diagnostic measure for S. haematobium infection in this population.

Eosinophil granule proteins ECP and EPX as markers for a potential early-stage inflammatory lesion in female genital schistosomiasis (FGS).

BACKGROUND: Genital granulomas induced by Schistosoma haematobium eggs can manifest as different lesion types visible by colposcopy; rubbery papules (RP), homogenous sandy patches (HSP) and grainy sandy patches (GSP). Pronounced tissue eosinophilia is a candidate marker for active S. haematobium pathology, as viable schistosome egg granulomas often are eosinophil rich. Here it was investigated whether eosinophil granule proteins ECP (eosinophil cationic protein) and EPX (eosinophil protein-X) in urine and genital lavage can be used as markers for active FGS lesions. METHODS: Uro-genital samples from 118 Malagasy women were analysed for ECP and EPX by standard sandwich avidin/biotin amplified ELISA. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The women with RP lesions had significantly higher levels of ECP and EPX in both lavage and urine. Furthermore, women with RP lesions were significantly younger than those with GSP. This could indicate that RP lesions might be more recently established and thus represent an earlier inflammatory lesion stage. CONCLUSION: ECP in genital lavage might be a future tool aiding the identification of FGS pathology at a stage where reversibility remains a possibility following praziquantel treatment.