| Title |
Comparative Analysis of Immune Responses to Mycobacterium abscessus Infection and Its Antigens in Two Murine Models |
| Author |
Bo-Young Jeon1, Jeongyeon Kwak1, Seung-Sub Lee2,3, SangNae Cho1, Chul Jae Won2,3, Jin Man Kim3,4, and Sung Jae Shin2,3* |
| Address |
1Department of Microbiology and Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752, Republic of Korea, 2Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 301-747, Republic of Korea, 3Research Institute for Medical Sciences and Infection Signaling Network Research Center, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 301-747, Republic of Korea, 4Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 301-747, Republic of Korea |
| Bibliography |
Journal of Microbiology, 47(5),633-640, 2009,
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| DOI |
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| Key Words |
M. abscessus, murine infection model, immune response, antigens, cytokines |
| Abstract |
Mycobacterium abscessus has been identified as an emerging pulmonary pathogen in humans. Because little is known regarding immune responses elicited by M. abscessus or its antigens, immunological responses were studied in two murine models subjected to intravenous (high-dose or systemic infection) or pulmonary
(low-dose or local infection) inoculation with M. abscessus ATCC 19977. An overall comparison between the two models showed similar patterns of bacterial survival and host immune responses. The colonization of M. abscessus was the highest at 5 days post-infection (dpi) and its elimination was positively correlated with cell-mediated immunity in both challenges. However, an inverse relationship was observed between progressive inflammation and mycobacterial colonization levels in mice infected with a high dose at 14 dpi. Regarding antigens, culture filtrate (CF) of M. abscessus strongly induced IFN-γ secretion, whereas cellular extract (CE) antigen elicited strong antibody responses. The antibody response to M. abscessus antigens in mice subjected to low-dose infection increased when the cellular immune response decreased over 14 dpi. However, the antibody response for the high-dose infection increased promptly after the infection. In comparison
of cytokine expression in lung homogenates after M. abscessus infection, Th1 and Th2 cytokines increased simultaneously in the high-dose infection, whereas only cell-mediated immunity developed in the low-dose pulmonary infection. These findings not only enhance our understanding of the immune response to M. abscessus infection according to systemic or pulmonary infection, but may also aid in immunological diagnosis and vaccine development. |
