Immunological changes in opportunistic parasitic infections

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Malignant diseases can impact the immune system.
• Parasitic infections, particularly opportunistic ones, may further complicate cancer progression.
• Understanding the interplay between cancer, parasitic infections, and immune status is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the immunological status of cancer patients with varying parasitic infection types.
• To assess the impact of opportunistic and non-opportunistic parasitic infections on cell-mediated and humoral immunity in cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Studied 110 cancer patients and 20 healthy controls, categorized into four groups based on parasitic infection status.
• Assessed cell-mediated immunity using the leucocyte migration inhibition test and intradermal skin test.
• Evaluated humoral immunity through quantitative determination of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgA).

Main Results:

• Cell-mediated immunity was reduced in cancer patients compared to controls.
• Parasitic infections, especially opportunistic and mixed types, led to a more pronounced decrease in cell-mediated immunity.
• Immunoglobulin levels varied: IgG and IgA increased in non-mixed infection groups but decreased in the mixed group; IgM increased in non-infected and non-opportunistic groups but decreased with opportunistic infections.

Conclusions:

• Cancer is associated with impaired cell-mediated immunity.
• Superimposed parasitic infections exacerbate immune deficiency in cancer patients.
• Opportunistic and mixed parasitic infections significantly suppress cell-mediated immunity and alter immunoglobulin profiles in cancer patients.