Exogenous IL-13 exacerbates Leishmania major infection and abrogates acquired immunity to re-infection

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a major global health issue, affecting more than 88 countries with 0.7-1.2 million new cases per year. T helper polarization plays a significant role in disease outcome, with Th1 responses being associated with resistance and Th2 responses being associated with susceptibility. IL-13 is an important Th2 cytokine with structural and functional similarities to IL-4. In this study, we demonstrate that administering exogenous IL-13 to Leishmania major-infected BALB/c mice increases parasite load in the infected paw and decreases tissue levels of the key Th1/Th2 cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4, respectively. Infecting BALB/c mice with a low dose of L. major has previously been shown to confer resistance to re-infection with a higher dose. In this study, we demonstrate that administration of exogenous IL-13 early in the course of the initial low-dose infection abrogates acquired resistance to high-dose re-infection, as measured by infected paw thickness.