Eotaxin Expression in Onchocerca volvulus-Induced Dermatitis after Topical Application of Diethylcarbamazine

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 180; no. 4; pp. 1394 - 1397
• Main Authors: Pearlman, Eric, Toé, Laurent, Boatin, Boakye A., Gilles, Adjami Aimé, Higgins, Alan W., Unnasch, Thomas R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL University of Chicago Press 01.10.1999
• Subjects: Administration, Topical; Adolescent; Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Animals; Antiparasitic Agents; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsies; Chemokine CCL11; Chemokines, CC; Chemotactic Factors, Eosinophil - analysis; Chemotactic Factors, Eosinophil - genetics; Child; Child, Preschool; Concise Communications; Cytokines - analysis; Cytokines - genetics; Dermatitis; Dermis; Diethylcarbamazine - administration & dosage; Diethylcarbamazine - therapeutic use; Diseases caused by nematodes; Endothelial cells; Eosinophils; Eosinophils - drug effects; Eosinophils - immunology; Eosinophils - pathology; Female; Filariases; Filaricides - administration & dosage; Filaricides - therapeutic use; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Gene expression; Helminthic diseases; Humans; Immunobiology; Immunohistochemistry; Infectious diseases; Lesions; Male; Medical sciences; Onchocerca volvulus; Onchocerciasis; Onchocerciasis - drug therapy; Onchocerciasis - immunology; Onchocerciasis - pathology; Onchocercosis; Organs and cells involved in the immune response; Parasitic diseases; Skin; Skin Diseases, Parasitic - immunology; Skin Diseases, Parasitic - pathology; Topical application; Transcription, Genetic; Tropical medicine; Human; Immunohistochemistry; Skin disease; Anthelmintic; Immune response; Cytokine; Onchocerca volvulus; Parasitosis; Helminthiasis; Dermatitis; Onchocerciasis; Eosinophil; Infection; Chemokine; Parasiticid; Nematode disease; Helmintha; Nemathelminthia; Diethylcarbamazine; Filariosis; Invertebrata; Detection; Nematoda
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/315041

In persons with onchocerciasis, topical application of the anthelminthic diethylcarbamazine (DEC) induces clinical and histologic responses similar to acute papular onchodermatitis, including recruitment of eosinophils to the skin. To determine whether the eosinophil chemokine eotaxin is likely to be associated with eosinophil recruitment in onchodermatitis, DEC was applied to a 5-cm² area on the skin of infected persons, and biopsies were taken from lesions 24 h later. Histologic analysis showed elevated dermal and epidermal eosinophils compared with tissue from an adjacent (untreated) site. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that eotaxin gene expression in DEC-treated skin was elevated 2- to 17-fold compared with control tissue. Eotaxin immunoreactivity was noted in mononuclear cells and eosinophils in the perivascular region of the dermis and in lymphatic and vascular endothelial cells. Together, these observations are consistent with a role for eotaxin in recruitment of eosinophils to the dermis in early stage onchocercal skin disease.