Failure of the Anti-Inflammatory Parasitic Worm Product ES-62 to Provide Protection in Mouse Models of Type I Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Parasitic helminths and their isolated secreted products show promise as novel treatments for allergic and autoimmune conditions in humans. Foremost amongst the secreted products is ES-62, a glycoprotein derived from , a filarial nematode parasite of gerbils, which is anti-inflammatory by virtue of covalently-attached phosphorylcholine (PC) moieties. ES-62 has been found to protect against disease in mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and airway hyper-responsiveness.

Role of IL-33 and ST2 signalling pathway in multiple sclerosis: expression by oligodendrocytes and inhibition of myelination in central nervous system.

Recent research findings have provided convincing evidence indicating a role for Interleukin-33 (IL-33) signalling pathway in a number of central nervous system (CNS) diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer's disease. However, the exact function of IL-33 molecule within the CNS under normal and pathological conditions is currently unknown. In this study, we have mapped cellular expression of IL-33 and its receptor ST2 by immunohistochemistry in the brain tissues of MS patients and appropriate controls; and investigated the functional significance of these findings in vitro using a myelinating culture system.

Increased exposure to Plasmodium chabaudi antigens sustains cross-reactivity and avidity of antibodies binding Nippostrongylus brasiliensis: dissecting cross-phylum cross-reactivity in a rodent model.

Mounting an antibody response capable of discriminating amongst and appropriately targeting different parasites is crucial in host defence. However, cross-reactive antibodies that recognize (bind to) multiple parasite species are well documented. We aimed to determine if a higher inoculating dose of one species, and thus exposure to larger amounts of antigen over a longer period of time, would fine-tune responses to that species and reduce cross-reactivity.

Emerging role of interleukin-33 in autoimmune diseases.

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a member of the IL-1 cytokine family. It predominantly induces type 2 immune responses and thus is protective against atherosclerosis and nematode infections but contributes to allergic airway inflammation. Interleukin-33 also plays a pivotal role in the development of many autoimmune diseases through mechanisms that are still not fully understood.

Quantifying variation in the potential for antibody-mediated apparent competition among nine genotypes of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi.

Within-host competition among parasite genotypes affects epidemiology as well as the evolution of virulence. In the rodent malaria Plasmodium chabaudi, competition among genotypes, as well as clone-specific and clone-transcending immunity are well documented. However, variation among genotypes in the induction of antibodies is not well understood, despite the important role of antibodies in the clearance of malaria infection.

Antibody isotype analysis of malaria-nematode co-infection: problems and solutions associated with cross-reactivity.

Background: Antibody isotype responses can be useful as indicators of immune bias during infection. In studies of parasite co-infection however, interpretation of immune bias is complicated by the occurrence of cross-reactive antibodies. To confidently attribute shifts in immune bias to the presence of a co-infecting parasite, we suggest practical approaches to account for antibody cross-reactivity.

Plasmodium chabaudi limits early Nippostrongylus brasiliensis-induced pulmonary immune activation and Th2 polarization in co-infected mice.

Background: Larvae of several common species of parasitic nematodes obligately migrate through, and often damage, host lungs. The larvae induce strong pulmonary Type 2 immune responses, including T-helper (Th)2 cells as well as alternatively activated macrophages (AAMphi) and associated chitinase and Fizz/resistin family members (ChaFFs), which are thought to promote tissue repair processes. Given the prevalence of systemic or lung-resident Type 1-inducing pathogens in geographical areas in which nematodes are endemic, we wished to investigate the impact of concurrent Type 1 responses on the development of these Type 2 responses to nematode larval migration.

Why do adaptive immune responses cross-react?

Antigen specificity of adaptive immune responses is often in the host's best interests, but with important and as yet unpredictable exceptions. For example, antibodies that bind to multiple flaviviral or malarial species can provide hosts with simultaneous protection against many parasite genotypes. Vaccinology often aims to harness such imprecision, because cross-reactive antibodies might provide broad-spectrum protection in the face of antigenic variation by parasites.