Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0042961 (volvulus)
 4,305 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

To help define the immunoregulatory defects in patients with onchocerciasis, flow cytometric analysis of circulating lymphocyte subpopulations was performed in parallel with functional assays. No significant differences in CD4/CD8 ratios were seen when microfilariae-positive individuals from Guatemala were compared with Guatemalan controls. However, the infected individuals had significantly increased numbers of circulating CD4+CD45RA+ lymphocytes (mean 38.3%) when compared with controls (mean 16.0%). Coexpression of the activation marker HLA-DR was significantly increased on CD4+ cells from infected individuals. In contrast, no up-regulation of HLA-DR was seen on CD8+ or CD19+ cells. At 1 year after initiation of treatment with semiannual doses of the microfilaricide ivermectin, there were significant increases (P less than 0.05) in the percentage of CD4+CD45RA- cells, the percentage of CD4+HLA-DR+ cells, and mitogen-induced lymphokine production (IL-2, IL-4). Despite these changes, parasite-specific IL-2 and IL-4 production which had been undetectable before treatment did not manifest itself even by the 2-yr follow-up. Defects in the T-cell activation pathway in Onchocerca volvulus-infected individuals may thus exist at several independent points; a state of parasite antigen-specific tolerance appears to remain even after the relative reversal of other generalized immunoregulatory defects.
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PMID:Immunoregulation in onchocerciasis. Functional and phenotypic abnormalities of lymphocyte subsets and changes with therapy. 182 96

In onchocerciasis patients and in O. volvulus-exposed individuals without signs of onchocericiasis, T- and B-cell responses to two recombinantly expressed O. volvulus enzymes were analysed and compared to responses to total protein extract of adult parasites. The cytosolic enzymes Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (OvSOD1) and glutathione S-transferase 2 (OvGST2) represent 2 detoxifying molecules which may play an important role in parasite defense against host-induced oxidative stress. The T-cell response to the two recombinant proteins was analysed by investigating the cytokine responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Induction of IL-5 at the mRNA level and IL-5 and IL-10 at the protein level was demonstrated in patients with the generalized form of onchocerciasis and endemic normals without clinical manifestations. IFN-gamma was not found to be induced by either antigen. This pattern of lymphokine expression is indicative of a Th2-type response. Compared to patients with the generalized form, a higher level of cytokine induction was observed in the group of endemic normals. Low but significant IgG levels were observed against OvSOD1 in patients with onchocerciasis; higher antibody levels were found against OvGST2 in patients and endemic normals. The highest IgG levels were detected against the crude O. volvulus extract. These results indicate that the two recombinant O. volvulus proteins induce moderate T and B cell responses.
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PMID:Characterization of human immune responses to the cytosolic superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase from Onchocerca volvulus. 929 49