Impaired Tetanus-Specific Cellular and Humoral Responses following Tetanus Vaccination in Human Onchocerciasis: A Possible Role for Interleukin-10

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 178; no. 4; pp. 1133 - 1138
• Main Authors: Cooper, P. J., Espinel, I., Paredes, W., Guderian, R. H., Nutman, T. B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.10.1998; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Antigens; Biological and medical sciences; Cytokines; Diseases caused by nematodes; Female; Filariases; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Helminthic diseases; Humans; Immunity, Cellular; Immunobiology; Immunologic Tests; Infections; Infectious diseases; Interleukin-10 - biosynthesis; Intestinal volvulus; Major Articles; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Onchocerciasis; Onchocerciasis - immunology; Onchocercosis; Organs and cells involved in the immune response; Parasites; Parasitic diseases; T lymphocytes; Tetanus; Tetanus Toxoid - immunology; Tuberculin; Tuberculin - immunology; Vaccination; Skin disease; Toxoid; Vaccination; Cellular immunity; Onchocerciasis; Complication; Nematoda; Humoral immunity; Human; Immune response; Cytokine; Onchocerca volvulus; Parasitosis; Helminthiasis; Infection; Eye disease; Nematode disease; Interleukin 10; Bacteriosis; Helmintha; Nemathelminthia; Filariosis; Tetanus; Invertebrata; Gamma interferon
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/515661

Onchocerca volvulus infection has been associated with impaired cellular responses to parasite antigens, an impairment that may also extend to nonparasite antigens. To investigate the mechanism of this impaired immune response, the effect of concurrent O. volvulus infection on the immune response to tetanus toxoid (TT) following tetanus vaccination was studied. The proliferative, cytokine, and antibody response to TT of O. volvulus—infected subjects (n = 19) and comparable noninfected controls (n = 20) were studied before and 6 months after vaccination with TT. Following vaccination, antibody levels, proliferative responses, and levels of interferon-γ were significantly greater in noninfected subjects (P < .05, .001, and .05, respectively); however, infected subjects produced interleukin-10, but noninfected controls did not (P < .001). These studies indicate that concurrent infection with O. volvulus can diminish the immune response to an unrelated antigen (TT) by a mechanism that is likely to involve interleukin—10.