4 research outputs found
Mouse cytokine profile skewed towards Th2 in pregnancy during infection with Brucella abortus S19 strain
The two classes of cytokines Th1 and Th2 determine the type of immune response elicited. The Th2 immune response is associated with successful pregnancy. Brucellosis is an intracellular bacterium that elicits the Th1 response and is known to cause spontaneous abortion in mammalian species. This study sought to determine if Brucella infection causes spontaneous abortion by causing the circulating cytokine profile be Th1 dominant during pregnancy. Forty-eight Swiss white mice were used in this murine model and the S19 strain of Brucella abortus was used in as the infective agent. Pregnant mice in the test group were injected intraperitoneally with 105-8 CFU of Brucella and cytokine profile evaluated over the three trimesters of pregnancy. Pregnant mice in the control group were left to go through normal pregnancy and their cytokine profile evaluated over the three trimesters of pregnancy. Cytokines in serum samples were analyzed by Cytometric Bead Array. The data was analyzed using the Paired T- test and
Mouse cytokine profile skewed towards Th2 in pregnancy during infection with Brucella abortus S19 strain
The two classes of cytokines Th1 and Th2 determine the type of immune
response elicited. The Th2 immune response is associated with
successful pregnancy. Brucellosis is an intracellular bacterium that
elicits the Th1 response and is known to cause spontaneous abortion in
mammalian species. This study sought to determine if Brucella infection
causes spontaneous abortion by causing the circulating cytokine profile
be Th1 dominant during pregnancy. Fortyeight Swiss white mice were used
in this murine model and the S19 strain of Brucella abortus was used
in as the infective agent. Pregnant mice in the test group were
injected intraperitoneally with 105-8 CFU of Brucella and cytokine
profile evaluated over the three trimesters of pregnancy. Pregnant mice
in the control group were left to go through normal pregnancy and their
cytokine profile evaluated over the three trimesters of pregnancy.
Cytokines in serum samples were analyzed by Cytometric Bead Array. The
data was analyzed using the Paired T-test and p<0.05 was considered
significant. IFN-γ and TNF-α represented the Th1 cytokines
while IL-4 and IL-5 represented the Th2 cytokines. None of the mice in
the test group had spontaneous abortion. IFN-γ and TNF-α had
no significant differences between cytokine levels for infected and
uninfected groups in all 3 trimesters of pregnancy. IL-4 levels had
significant differences in all three trimesters of pregnancy (t =13,
P=0.036, 0.0071 and 0.0277). IL-5 levels had significant differences
second trimester (t=14, P=0.0075). The cytokine profile was robustly
Th2. In conclusion, Brucella abortus cannot cause spontaneous abortion
by altering the mouse cytokine profile towards ThI in pregnancy.
Elevated IL-4 levels with corresponding suppression of IFN-γ can
be used as a marker for successful pregnancy in Brucellosis
Comparison of short-term and long-term protocols for stabilization and preservation of RNA and DNA of Leishmania, Trypanosoma, and Plasmodium
Molecular tools continue to be important in the prevention and control of parasitic diseases. However, using these techniques directly in the field remains a major challenge. Therefore, the preservation of clinical samples collected from endemic field areas for later analysis remains an important preanalytical process. This study aimed at identifying a suitable protocol for stabilization and preservation of RNA and DNA in bioclinical specimens for Trypanosoma, Leishmania, and Plasmodium research. Both spiked and unspiked blood samples were preserved in 7 protocols (different media; storage temperatures). Samples were evaluated for possible degradation of DNA and RNA along the storage duration up to the 10th week. Nucleic acid targets were assessed as follows: (i) Trypanosoma and Plasmodium RNA analysis was done using real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (RT-NASBA) for 18S rRNA and for stage-specific Pfs25 mRNA, respectively; (ii) Trypanosoma DNA assessment analysis was conducted by using a conventional PCR for 18S rDNA; (iii) Leishmania RNA analysis was performed with a quantitative NASBA for 18S rRNA and Leishmania DNA assessment with an RT-PCR for 18S rDNA. Findings suggested that a newly developed L3â„¢ buffer proved to be reliable and suitable for both short- and long-term preservation of parasite nucleic acid material. This buffer is envisaged to be suitable for utilization in field situations where resources are limite