Onchocerca volvulus-specific antibody and cellular responses in onchocerciasis patients treated annually with ivermectin for 30 years and exposed to parasite transmission in central Togo.

Background: Annual mass drug administrations (MDA) of ivermectin will strongly reduce Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae (mf) in the skin and in the onchocerciasis patients' eyes. Ivermectin treatment will also affect the expression of immunity in patients, such that activated immune defenses may help control and contribute to clearance of mf of O. volvulus.

Inflammatory and regulatory CCL and CXCL chemokine and cytokine cellular responses in patients with patent Mansonella perstans filariasis.

Mansonella perstans (Mp) filariasis is present in large populations in sub-Saharan Africa, and to what extent patent Mp infection modulates the expression of immunity in patients, notably their cellular cytokine and chemokine response profile, remains not well known. We studied the spontaneous and inducible cellular production of chemokines (C-X-C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9) [monokine induced by interferon (IFN)-γ (MIG)], CXCL-10 [inducible protein (IP)-10], chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 24 (CCL24) (eotaxin-2), CCL22 [macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC)], CCL13 [monocyte chemotactic protein-4 (MCP-4)], CCL18 [pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine (PARC)], CCL17 [thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC)] and interleukin (IL)-27 in mansonelliasis patients (Mp-PAT) and mansonelliasis-free controls (CTRL). Freshly isolated peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) were stimulated with helminth, protozoan and bacterial antigens and mitogen [phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)].

Chemokine levels and parasite- and allergen-specific antibody responses in children and adults with severe or uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Chemokine and antibody response profiles were investigated in children and adults with severe or uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria; the aim was to reveal which profiles are associated with severe disease, as often seen in nonimmune children, or with mild and uncomplicated disease, as seen in semi-immune adults. Blood samples were obtained from children under 5 years of age as well as adults with falciparum malaria. Classification of malaria was performed according to parasite densities and hemoglobin concentrations.