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Local cell traffic and cytokine production associated with ectoparasite infection
A D Nash1, P J Egan, W Kimpton
1Centre for Animal Biotechnology, School of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Insights
Sheep infection with the fly Lucilia cuprina alters skin immune cell traffic and cytokine synthesis. These changes in the skin and lymph reflect the immune response to the parasite.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Parasitology
- Sheep Health
Background:
- Ectoparasitic infections, such as Lucilia cuprina (sheep blowfly) strike, pose significant challenges to sheep health and productivity.
- Understanding the host-parasite interactions at the cellular and molecular level is crucial for developing effective control strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in understanding immune responses to Lucilia cuprina infection in sheep.
- To investigate changes in local cellular traffic and cytokine synthesis in sheep skin and lymph following infection.
Main Methods:
- Assessment of cellular composition and cytokine profiles in infected skin and draining lymph.
- Utilisation of standard techniques alongside advanced methods like cytokine-specific immunoassay, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and immunohistology.
- Analysis of cellular and molecular changes in afferent and efferent lymph.
Main Results:
- Initial acute inflammatory response characterized by polymorphonuclear cell infiltration, followed by lymphocyte subsets near the infection site.
- Cytokine expression analysis in skin provided a molecular basis for observed cellular events.
- Skin-based cellular and molecular events were mirrored in draining afferent lymph, influencing lymph node responses.
- Efferent lymph analysis indicated the initiation of antigen-specific immunity.
Conclusions:
- Local immune events within the skin, beyond antigen transport, significantly influence draining lymph node responses and the overall immune outcome.
- The study provides insights into the complex immune mechanisms governing sheep ectoparasite resistance.
- Findings highlight the potential for targeted immunomodulatory interventions against Lucilia cuprina infections.
Abstract:
This paper reviews recent advances in our understanding of changes in local cellular traffic and cytokine synthesis that occur as a result of infection of sheep with the ectoparasite Lucilia cuprina. Changes in the cellular composition and cytokine profile of infected skin and draining afferent and efferent lymph were assessed using standard approaches and, in addition, a variety of techniques that have only recently become available as a result of advances in ruminant cytokine biology. These include cytokine-specific immunoassay, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and immunohistology. The initial acute inflammatory response was characterised by the infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells followed by selected lymphocyte subsets into discrete areas adjacent to the site of infection. Analysis of cytokine expression in skin prior to and following infection provided a molecular basis for the observed cellular events. Both cellular and molecular events within the skin were reflected within draining afferent lymph providing a basis for the conclusion that events within the skin (other than antigen uptake and transport) may influence events within the draining node and thus the outcome of the immune response to the parasite. Analysis of cellular and molecular changes in efferent lymph during infection suggested initiation of antigen-specific immunity.