ABSTRACT
Immunization of BALB/c mice with an expression genomic library of Toxoplasma gondii induces a Th1-type immune response, with recognition of several T. gondii proteins (21 to 117 kDa) and long-term protective immunity against a lethal challenge. These results support further investigations to achieve a multicomponent anti-T. gondii DNA vaccine.
Subject(s)
Protozoan Vaccines/administration & dosage , Toxoplasma/immunology , Vaccines, DNA/pharmacology , Animals , Gene Expression , Genome, Protozoan , Genomic Library , Lymphocyte Activation , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Protozoan Vaccines/genetics , Th1 Cells/immunology , Time Factors , Toxoplasma/genetics , Toxoplasmosis, Animal/immunology , Toxoplasmosis, Animal/prevention & control , Vaccination , Vaccines, DNA/geneticsABSTRACT
Pro-inflammatory cytokines are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of dengue infection. This study reports cytokine levels in a total of 54 patients examined in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil. Five out of eight patients who had hemorrhagic manifestations presented tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in sera which were statistically higher than those recorded for controls. In contrast, only one out of 16 patients with mild manifestations had elevated TNF-alpha levels. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL), IL-1beta tested in 24 samples and IL-12 in 30 samples were not significantly increased. Interferon-g was present in 10 out of 30 patients with dengue. The data support the concept that the increased level of TNF-alpha is related to the severity of the disease. Soluble TNF receptor p75 was found in most patients but it is unlikely to be related to severity since it was found with an equivalent frequency and levels in 15 patients with dengue fever and another 15 with dengue hemorrhagic fever
