Characterization of intestinal mononuclear phagocyte subsets in young ruminants at homeostasis and during Cryptosporidium parvum infection.

Introduction: Cryptosporidiosis is a poorly controlled zoonosis caused by an intestinal parasite, Cryptosporidium parvum, with a high prevalence in livestock (cattle, sheep, and goats). Young animals are particularly susceptible to this infection due to the immaturity of their intestinal immune system. In a neonatal mouse model, we previously demonstrated the importance of the innate immunity and particularly of type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1) among mononuclear phagocytes (MPs) in controlling the acute phase of C. parvum infection. These immune populations are well described in mice and humans, but their fine characterization in the intestine of young ruminants remained to be further explored. Methods: Immune cells of the small intestinal Peyer's patches and of the distal jejunum were isolated from naive lambs and calves at different ages. This was followed by their fine characterization by flow cytometry and transcriptomic analyses (q-RT-PCR and single cell RNAseq (lamb cells)). Newborn animals were infected with C. parvum, clinical signs and parasite burden were quantified, and isolated MP cells were characterized by flow cytometry in comparison with age matched control animals. Results: Here, we identified one population of macrophages and three subsets of cDC (cDC1, cDC2, and a minor cDC subset with migratory properties) in the intestine of lamb and calf by phenotypic and targeted gene expression analyses. Unsupervised single-cell transcriptomic analysis confirmed the identification of these four intestinal MP subpopulations in lamb, while highlighting a deeper diversity of cell subsets among monocytic and dendritic cells. We demonstrated a weak proportion of cDC1 in the intestine of highly susceptible newborn lambs together with an increase of these cells within the first days of life and in response to the infection. Discussion: Considering cDC1 importance for efficient parasite control in the mouse model, one may speculate that the cDC1/cDC2 ratio plays also a key role for the efficient control of C. parvum in young ruminants. In this study, we established the first fine characterization of intestinal MP subsets in young lambs and calves providing new insights for comparative immunology of the intestinal MP system across species and for future investigations on host-Cryptosporidium interactions in target species.

Infection dynamics of Toxoplasma gondii in gut-associated tissues after oral infection: The role of Peyer's patches.

Toxoplasma gondii is a common perorally transmitted parasite; however, its immunopathogenesis in gut-associated tissues remains unclear. Here, we compared disease manifestation in C57BL/6 immunocompetent wild type (WT) mice and immunocompromised interferon (IFN)-γ-deficient (GKO) mice after peroral infection (PI) with T. gondii cysts (Fukaya strain). Strong PI-induced Th1 cytokine expression was detected in WT mice. Moreover, bradyzoite-specific T.g.HSP30/bag1 mRNA was detected in the ileum parenchyma and Peyer's patches (PP), but not in the mesenteric lymph nodes, at 7 days post-infection in WT mice, and was significantly higher than that in GKO mice. Nested PCR showed that parasites existed in ileum parenchyma at days 1 and 1.5 post-PI in GKO and WT mice, respectively. In addition, quantitative competitive-PCR indicated that T. gondii first colonized the PP (day 3 post-PI), followed by the ileum parenchyma and mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, and portal and aortic blood (day 7 post-PI). Although parasites were consistently more abundant in GKO mice, similar invasion and dissemination patterns were observed in the two hosts. Collectively, these data suggest that some zoites differentiate from tachyzoites to bradyzoites in the ileum and that T. gondii initially invades the ileum parenchyma, and then accumulates and proliferates in the PP before disseminating through the lymphatic systems of both GKO and WT hosts.

Schistosome Egg Migration: Mechanisms, Pathogenesis and Host Immune Responses.

Many parasitic worms possess complex and intriguing life cycles, and schistosomes are no exception. To exit the human body and progress to their successive snail host, Schistosoma mansoni eggs must migrate from the mesenteric vessels, across the intestinal wall and into the feces. This process is complex and not always successful. A vast proportion of eggs fail to leave their definite host, instead becoming lodged within intestinal or hepatic tissue, where they can evoke potentially life-threatening pathology. Thus, to maximize the likelihood of successful egg passage whilst minimizing host pathology, intriguing egg exit strategies have evolved. Notably, schistosomes actively exert counter-inflammatory influences on the host immune system, discreetly compromise endothelial and epithelial barriers, and modulate granuloma formation around transiting eggs, which is instrumental to their migration. In this review, we discuss new developments in our understanding of schistosome egg migration, with an emphasis on S. mansoni and the intestine, and outline the host-parasite interactions that are thought to make this process possible. In addition, we explore the potential immune implications of egg penetration and discuss the long-term consequences for the host of unsuccessful egg transit, such as fibrosis, co-infection and cancer development.

Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry 16 kinase promotes host resistance to oral infection and intestinal inflammation only in the context of the dense granule protein GRA15.

Toxoplasma gondii transmission between intermediate hosts is dependent on the ingestion of walled cysts formed during the chronic phase of infection. Immediately following consumption, the parasite must ensure survival of the host by preventing adverse inflammatory responses and/or by limiting its own replication. Since the Toxoplasma secreted effectors rhoptry 16 kinase (ROP16) and dense granule 15 (GRA15) activate the JAK-STAT3/6 and NF-κB signaling pathways, respectively, we explored whether a particular combination of these effectors impacted intestinal inflammation and parasite survival in vivo. Here we report that expression of the STAT-activating version of ROP16 in the type II strain (strain II+ROP16I) promotes host resistance to oral infection only in the context of endogenous GRA15 expression. Protection was characterized by a lower intestinal parasite burden and dampened inflammation. Host resistance to the II+ROP16I strain occurred independently of STAT6 and the T cell coinhibitory receptors B7-DC and B7-H1, two receptors that are upregulated by ROP16. In addition, coexpression of ROP16 and GRA15 enhanced parasite susceptibility within tumor necrosis factor alpha/gamma interferon-stimulated macrophages in a STAT3/6-independent manner. Transcriptional profiling of infected STAT3- and STAT6-deficient macrophages and parasitized Peyer's patches from mice orally challenged with strain II+ROP16I suggested that ROP16 activated STAT5 to modulate host gene expression. Consistent with this supposition, the ROP16 kinase induced the sustained phosphorylation and nuclear localization of STAT5 in Toxoplasma-infected cells. In summary, only the combined expression of both GRA15 and ROP16 promoted host resistance to acute oral infection, and Toxoplasma may possibly target the STAT5 signaling pathway to generate protective immunity in the gut.

Microbe-dendritic cell dialog controls regulatory T-cell fate.

Each microenvironment is controlled by a specific set of regulatory elements that have to be finely and constantly tuned to maintain local homeostasis. These environments could be site specific, such as the gut environment, or induced by chronic exposure to microbes. Various populations of dendritic cells are central to the orchestration of this control. In this review, we discuss some new findings associating dendritic cells from defined compartments with the induction and control of regulatory T cells in the context of exposure to both commensal and pathogenic microbes.

Eosinophil-nerve interactions and neuronal plasticity in rat gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in response to enteric parasitism.

Intestinal lymphoid tissues and Peyer's patches (PP) are innervated sites of immune surveillance in the gastrointestinal tract. Following infection with F. hepatica, neuronal hyperplasia and significantly increased eosinophil and mast cell trafficking to colonic PP sites were evident in rat tissues. Nerve-eosinophil associations were significantly elevated in infected colon and colonic PP, as were colonic tissue levels of the circulatory recruitment factors IL-5 and eotaxin. Increased immunoreactivity for neuronal plasticity markers GAP-43 and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was also found in infected tissues. Such neuronal alterations in the PP during enteric parasitism may have functional consequences on particular or pathogen uptake.

Peyer's patches are required for the induction of rapid Th1 responses in the gut and mesenteric lymph nodes during an enteric infection.

The Peyer's patches (PP) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) are structural components of the gut-associated lymphoid tissues and contribute to the induction of immune responses toward infection in the gastrointestinal tract. These secondary lymphoid organs provide structural organization for efficient cellular interactions and the initiation of primary adaptive immune responses against infection. Immunity against primary infection with the enteric apicomplexan parasite, Eimeria vermiformis, depends on the rapid induction of local Th1 responses. Lymphotoxin (LT)-deficient mice which have various defects in secondary lymphoid organs were infected with E. vermiformis. The relative susceptibility of LTalpha(-/-), LTbeta(-/-), LTalpha(+/-)beta(+/-) mice and bone marrow chimeras, indicated that rapid protective Th1 responses required both PP and MLN. Moreover, the timing of Th1 induction in both MLN and gut was dependent on the presence of PP suggesting a level of cooperation between immune responses induced in these distinct lymphoid structures. The delay in Th1 induction was attributable to the delayed arrival of a broad range of dendritic cell subsets in the MLN and a substantial reduction of CD8alpha(-)CD11b(high) B220(-) dendritic cells in PP-deficient mice.

Invasion of the intestinal tract by sporozoites of Eimeria coecicola and Eimeria intestinalis in naive and immune rabbits.

Naive and immune specific-pathogen-free rabbits were inoculated in the duodenum with sporocysts of Eimeria coecicola or Eimeria intestinalis. Samples were taken from the following tissues: duodenum (site of penetration of sporozoites), ileum (specific target site of the endogenous development of E. intestinalis), vermiform appendix (target site of E. coecicola) and two extraintestinal sites, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), and spleen. The presence of sporozoites was checked by immunohistochemistry. In rabbits primary-infected with E. coecicola, large numbers of sporozoites were detected in the duodenum, extraintestinal sites, and vermiform appendix. The abundance of sporozoites in the spleen, MLN, and appendix was significantly reduced in the immune rabbits, and the migration seemed impeded. In the rabbits infected with E. intestinalis, sporozoites were absent in the spleen and MLN, indicating that the route of migration is different from that of E. coecicola. The number of sporozoites in the crypts of the ileum was markedly reduced in the immune animals.

Local and systemic immune responses to Echinococcus granulosus in experimentally infected dogs.

Local and systemic immune responses were studied in six dogs experimentally infected with the dog/sheep tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. All dogs developed similar IgG antibody response to parasite antigens. In contrast, IgE and IgA responses differed widely. No relationship between IgA responses and parasite burden at the end of the infection were observed. Further, clear differences in the anti-parasite IgA response in serum as compared with specific IgA forming cells in mesenteric lymph nodes were observed within the same dog. An inverse association of anti-parasite IgE and parasite load seemed to be present, with the strongest IgE response in the one dog that had no worms in the intestine at the end of the experiment. No differences were observed in the numbers of intestinal mast cells and goblet cells among all infected dogs. However, the dog with no detectable parasite load had a marked reduction of detected mast cells in the submuscular and muscular layer of the mucosa. Our data give new insight into the immune response of dogs during E. granulosus infection and provide information that may be useful for the rational design of vaccines for the control of hydatid disease.

Parasitemia and early tissue localization of Sarcocystis neurona in interferon gamma gene knockout mice fed sporocysts.

Early localization and parasitemia of Sarcocystis neurona were studied in gamma interferon gene knockout (KO) mice fed S. neurona sporocysts. Mice were examined for S. neurona infection histologically and immunohistochemically and by bioassay in KO mice. For bioassay, blood and tissue homogenates were inoculated subcutaneously into KO mice. Parasitemia was demonstrated by bioassay in KO mice 1-8 days after feeding sporocysts (DAFS). Sporozoites were seen in histologic sections of all regions of the small intestine and in cells in Peyer's patches of a mouse killed 6 hr after feeding sporocysts. At 1 DAFS, organisms were present in all regions of the small intestine and were also seen in mesenteric lymph nodes. At 3 DAFS, organisms had begun to invade extraintestinal tissues. Sarcocystis neurona was demonstrated histologically in mouse brain as early as 4 DAFS.

gamma delta TCR+ intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (i-IEL) in reaction against intestinal nematode Trichinella spiralis.

To assess the gamma delta TCR T cells in the control of the timing of the mucosal response to enteric parasitic infections, we used C57BL mice, orally infected with 200 viable T. spiralis larvae. The small intestine, spleens and Peyer's patches (PP) were excised on 1, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 29 postinfection days (p.i.) for immunophenotyping and histological studies. Uninfected mice served as control. Characterization of isolated lymphocytes of C57BL control mice, confirmed that T cell immunophenotype differs in spleen, PP and i-IEL. Practically all i-IEL were CD3+ cells (83%). In addition, most of the i-IEL expressed Ly-2 (65%). Among the i-IEL, the level of gamma delta TCR+ cells was significantly higher (29%) than that found in spleen (3%) and PP (3%). The expression was high on CD3+ and Ly-2+ (26 and 21%, respectively) and low on L3T4+ i-IEL (< 1%). During T. spiralis infection alpha beta TCR+ CD3+, gamma delta TCR+ CD3+ and gamma delta TCR+ Ly-2+ i-IEL increased on day 4 and 7. However, infected mice displayed a reduction in i-IEL number from 14 to 29 p.i. day. At the same time the proportion of gamma delta TCR on spleen Ly-2+ and on PP CD3+ and Ly-2+ cells increased on 14 and 21 p.i. day. Adult worms were expelled from the gut by day 14. Thus, the kinetics of gamma delta TCR+ i-IEL, but not spleen and PP gamma delta TCR, corresponded to the kinetics of worm expulsion in C57BL mice. Most murine i-IEL of the gamma delta T cell lineage tend to be cytolytic when activated. We speculated that gamma delta T cells of i-IEL during the early stages of infection recognize and eliminate damaged epithelial cells generated by parasite antigens, simultaneously accelerating the worm expulsion.

Eimeria coecicola Cheissin 1947: endogenous development in gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

Coccidia-free rabbits were inoculated with different doses of a pure strain of Eimeria coecicola and samples of gut were taken at 80, 96, 112, 128, 144, and 160 h postinoculation. The use of a very low infective dose (2-20 oocysts) was sufficient to study the last merogony. The number of merozoites in meronts increased when the infective dose decreased. Only the first merogony of this coccidium in lymphocytes or M-cells of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) has previously been described. Three other generations of meronts are described herein. All these endogenous stages were observed in the epithelium of the vermiform appendix, sacculus rotundus, and Peyer's patches, especially at the bases of the domes. However, in heavily infected tissues the gamonts were seen throughout the epithelium of the GALT. The third- and fourth-generation meronts were of two types. As in other eimerian species of the rabbit, type A meronts produced thick polynucleated merozoites, whereas type B meronts gave rise to large numbers of thin merozoites with one nucleus. Microgamonts were polynucleated and less numerous than macrogamonts. Type A meronts were also polynucleated and less numerous at the end of the merogony. Therefore, types A and B could correspond to a sexual phenotype differentiation occuring during the two asexual phases of multiplication.

Early kinetics of Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice infected orally with cysts of an avirulent strain.

We determined the early kinetics of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Swiss Webster mice inoculated with the avirulent C strain by counting parasites in the blood, spleen, Peyer's patches, liver, lungs, and brain. Animals were orally inoculated with cysts on day zero (D0), and parasites were counted using a tissue culture method at 12, 24, and 36 hr and 2, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 30, 50, and 72 days postinfection. The spleen and Peyer's patches were the first organs found parasitized, on D2 and D3, respectively, followed by the lungs and liver on D7 and the brain on D10. No parasitemia was detected. This suggests that early dissemination of this avirulent strain from the intestine into the general circulation occurs essentially via the lymphatic system. Parasites persisted at a high level in the brain during the chronic phase. In the lungs, parasites were no longer detected by D72, while parasite numbers initially declined in the spleen and Peyer's patches but then showed a second peak, possibly due to recirculation of T. gondii. These results suggest that lymphoid organs play a key role in T. gondii dissemination during the acute phase and may also constitute a persistent source of parasite resurgence.

[The dynamic cellular composition of Peyer's patches in mice with an experimental Trichinella spiralis infection]. / Dinamika kletochnogo sostav peierovykh bliashek myshei pri éksperimental'nom zarazhenii Trichinella spiralis.

The morphological study of Peyer's patches of mice during experimental T spiralis infection has revealed a dual-frequency of the response of small intestinal lymphoid tissue to the helminth. Activation of Peyer's patches was seen early in the intestinal and muscular phases of invasion.

Enumeration of selected leukocytes in the small intestine of BALB/c mice infected with Cryptosporidium parvum.

Neonatal, suckling BALB/c mice inoculated with Cryptosporidium parvum produce an infection characterized by continuous shedding of oocysts that spontaneously clears by the time the animals are three weeks of age. Neonatal mice were used to characterize the leukocyte subgroups present in Peyer's patches from the ileum and jejunum of Cryptosporidium-infected and healthy mice. After infection, ileal Peyer's patches showed a predominant CD8+ response, with abundant monocytes-macrophages (MOMA-2+) and nonlymphoid dendritic cells (NLDC-145+ cells). In contrast, jejunal Peyer's patches showed more T lymphocytes than ileal patches, with a predominance of CD4+ cells and many dendritic NLDC-145+ cells and MOMA-2+ cells. The present results showed that ileal and jejunal Peyer's patches are functionally different in response to Cryptosporidium parasites. These findings suggest a preferential involvement of jejunal Peyer's patches in T cell-dependent immunity against the parasite, whereas ileal patches may be associated with B cell expansion and maturation.

Migration of sporozoites and merogony of Eimeria coecicola in gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

The invasive phase of Eimeria coecicola was studied during the first 80 h postinoculation (p.i.). Using a method that synchronized the life cycle, sporozoites were observed in the duodenum and the jejunum until 32 h p.i. They were seen first in the villous epithelial cells or in host cells resembling intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL). Later they were observed in IEL in the lamina propria. After 48 h p.i., no coccidian stage was identifiable in the mucosa of the small intestine but sporozoites appeared in the lymphoid cells of lymphatic follicles of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (vermiform appendix, sacculus rotundus, and Peyer's patches). The first merogony was observed 64 h p.i. in these lymphoid cells and in membranous epithelial cells (M-cells) but was never seen in the epithelium itself. Morphologically there were two types of meronts, depending on the host cell type, but in both cases the merozoites contained a refractile body and resembled sporozoites. The first meronts of the second generation were observed 80 h p.i. in the villous epithelial cells of the domes of the follicles of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, where the further development of this Eimeria takes place. This pattern of invasion strongly suggests that sporozoites take an exclusively extraintestinal route to reach the target cells. Moreover, to our knowledge this is the first description of an eimerian merogony that does not take place in epithelial cells.

Cryptosporidiosis and the follicle-associated epithelium over the ileal Peyer's patch in calves.

Three calves were studied in stages of spontaneous cryptosporidial infection with particular reference to the relation of the cryptosporidia to the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) over the ileal Peyer's patch (IPP). In early infection scanning electron microscopy and streptavidin immunoperoxidase staining showed marked predilection of cryptosporidia for the FAE. Cryptosporidial antigen was also found in subepithelial tissue, both in the domes over the IPP and in villi, apparently in macrophages, where the parasites seemed to be progressively degraded. The FAE showed long tightly spaced microvilli, replacing normal low folds and protrusions, particularly in late infection. Endocytosis of indian ink was restricted to the cell periphery in late infection, contrasting the normal, more even distribution of endocytosis in the FAE apical cytoplasm. Few parasites were seen in the intestinal mucosa at this stage. At convalescence the FAE was normal, but all stages of infection were characterised by elongation of microvilli in absorptive cells.

Phagocytosis of Giardia muris by macrophages in Peyer's patch epithelium in mice.

No mechanism for the initiation of immunological clearance of Giardia from the mammalian intestinal tract has been identified. In normal and nude mice experimentally infected with G. muris, we examined antigen-sampling epithelium over Peyer's patch follicles by electron microscopy for evidence of interaction between G. muris and lymphoid cells. Invading G. muris were found in the epithelium near dying or desquamating columnar cells. Macrophages beneath the basal lamina extended pseudopods into the epithelium, trapping invading G. muris and enclosing them in phagolysosomes. In normal mice, which clear G. muris in 4 to 6 weeks, macrophages containing digested G. muris were surrounded by rosettes of lymphoblasts in the epithelium. In nude mice deficient in lymphocytes, there was apparent hyperplasia of macrophages, which filled the follicle domes, resulting in more frequent entrapment of G. muris but no contact between macrophages and lymphoblasts in the epithelium. In nude mice, which require 6 months to control G. muris infection, lymphoblast contact with macrophages containing distinctive microtubular remnants of G. muris was only identified in the follicle dome. This close physical association of lymphoblasts and macrophages containing G. muris remnants suggests that this macrophage activity represents intraepithelial antigen processing as well as a defense against the effects of the uncontrolled entrance of microorganisms and other antigenic particles into Peyer's patch lymphoid follicles.