Susceptibility and resistance to Echinococcus granulosus infection: Associations between mouse strains and early...

In helminth infections, there are no easy associations between host susceptibility and immune responses. Interestingly, immunity to cestodes - unlike most helminths - seems to require Th1-type effectors. In this sense, we reported recently that Balb/c and C57Bl/6 mice are high and low susceptible strains, respectively, to experimental infection by Echinococcus granulosus. However, the role of the early cellular peritoneal response in such differential susceptibility is unknown. Here, we analyzed the kinetics of cytokines expression and cellular phenotypes in peritoneal cells from infected Balb/c and C57Bl/6 mice. Additionally, Principal Components Analysis (PCA) were conducted to highlight the most relevant differences between strains. Finally, the anti-parasite activities of peritoneal cells were assessed through in vitro systems. PCAs clustered C57Bl/6 mice by their early mixed IL-5/TNF-α responses and less intense expression of Th2-type cytokines. Moreover, they exhibited lower counts of eosinophils and higher numbers of macrophages and B cells. Functional studies showed that peritoneal cells from infected C57Bl/6 mice displayed greater anti-parasite activities, in accordance with higher rates of NO production and more efficient ADCC responses. In conclusion, mild Th2-responses and active cellular mechanisms are key determinants in murine resistance to E. granulosus infection, supporting the cestode immune exception among helminth parasites.