IL-18 improves the early antimicrobial host response to pneumococcal pneumonia

To determine the role of endogenous IL-18 during pneumonia, IL-18 gene-deficient (IL-18(-/-)) mice and wild-type (WT) mice were intranasally inoculated with Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia. Infection with S. pneumoniae increased the expression of IL-18 mRNA and was associated with elevated concentrations of both precursor and mature IL-18 protein within the lungs. IL-18(-/-) mice had significantly more bacteria in their lungs and were more susceptible for progressing to systemic infection at 24 and 48 h postinoculation. Similarly, treatment of WT mice with anti-IL-18 was associated with enhanced outgrowth of pneumococci. In contrast, the clearance of pneumococci from lungs of IL-12(-/-) mice was unaltered when compared with WT mice. Furthermore, anti-IL-12 did not influence bacterial clearance in either IL-18(-/-) or WT mice. These data suggest that endogenous IL-18, but not IL-12, plays an important role in the early antibacterial host response during pneumococcal pneumonia.