Passive Transfer of Leishmania major Antibodies Leads to Disease Exacerbation Upon Exposure to Leishmania infantum
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Room 137B
Start Date
15-5-2014
End Date
15-5-2014
Keywords
Leishmaniasis, Antibody Enhancement, Tropical Disease
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a global disease found anywhere the temperature is warm enough for the sandfly vector to survive and anywhere that lacks rigorous vector control programs. Twelve million people are infected annually with this parasitic disease. Symptoms range from a minor cutaneous lesion at the bite site caused by dermotropic species such as L. major, to a life-threatening disease with multiple organ involvement, caused by viscerotropic species such as L. infantum. Both species of Leishmania co-occur in multiple countries, leading to the risk of co-infection. Previous research has shown that BALB/c mice first infected with the cutaneous form of leishmaniasis, followed by later infection with the visceral form of the disease, show increased disease severity. My research has focused on exploring how antibodies can be used to measure this disease exacerbation. Studies have shown that there is a strong association between L. major specific antibodies and increased disease upon secondary infection with L. infantum. Control animals inoculated with serum from uninfected mice did not have any disease enhancement. Overall, mice exposed previously to either L. major induced antibodies or L. major infection followed by exposure to L. infantum have increased parasitemia in visceral organs relative to control mice. Antibody enhancement due to interspecies infection has not previously been described in Leishmania infections. This research could have real world consequences on the practice of leishmanization that many parents practice to prevent disfiguring scars on their children.
This presentation was withdrawn from SOURCE, 2014.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Heidi; Stryker, Gabrielle; and Dondji, Blaise, "Passive Transfer of Leishmania major Antibodies Leads to Disease Exacerbation Upon Exposure to Leishmania infantum" (2014). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 90.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2014/oralpresentations/90
Additional Mentoring Department
Biological Sciences
Passive Transfer of Leishmania major Antibodies Leads to Disease Exacerbation Upon Exposure to Leishmania infantum
SURC Room 137B
Leishmaniasis is a global disease found anywhere the temperature is warm enough for the sandfly vector to survive and anywhere that lacks rigorous vector control programs. Twelve million people are infected annually with this parasitic disease. Symptoms range from a minor cutaneous lesion at the bite site caused by dermotropic species such as L. major, to a life-threatening disease with multiple organ involvement, caused by viscerotropic species such as L. infantum. Both species of Leishmania co-occur in multiple countries, leading to the risk of co-infection. Previous research has shown that BALB/c mice first infected with the cutaneous form of leishmaniasis, followed by later infection with the visceral form of the disease, show increased disease severity. My research has focused on exploring how antibodies can be used to measure this disease exacerbation. Studies have shown that there is a strong association between L. major specific antibodies and increased disease upon secondary infection with L. infantum. Control animals inoculated with serum from uninfected mice did not have any disease enhancement. Overall, mice exposed previously to either L. major induced antibodies or L. major infection followed by exposure to L. infantum have increased parasitemia in visceral organs relative to control mice. Antibody enhancement due to interspecies infection has not previously been described in Leishmania infections. This research could have real world consequences on the practice of leishmanization that many parents practice to prevent disfiguring scars on their children.
This presentation was withdrawn from SOURCE, 2014.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Stryker, Gabrielle ; Dondji, Blaise