Different immune response of pigs to Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium and Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis infection.

Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium (MAA) and Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) are the most common mycobacterial species isolated from granulomatous lesions in swine in countries with controlled bovine tuberculosis. This study is focused on the immunological aspect of MAA and MAH infection in pigs. We detected induction of humoral and cell-mediated immunity in experimentally infected pigs. Specific antibodies were analyzed in serum by ELISA and the IFN-γ release assay was used for evaluation of cell-mediated immunity. While MAA induced a significant increase of both types of immune responses, MAH-infected pigs had an unvarying level of specific antibodies and showed low cell-mediated immunity with high individual variability. The subsequent in vitro experiment confirmed the lower immunogenicity of the MAH strain in comparison to MAA. MAH-infected porcine monocyte-derived macrophages showed a weaker induction of pro-inflammatory mediators in comparison to MAA, which included mRNA for IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-23p19, IL-18 and chemokines CCL-3, CCL-5, CXCL-8 and CXCL-10. Additionally, qualitative proteomic analysis revealed 28 proteins exclusively in MAA and 7 proteins unique to MAH. In conclusion, closely related M. avium subspecies MAA and MAH showed different capacities to stimulate the porcine immune system. From a diagnostic point of view, the IFN-γ release assay showed higher sensitivity than the detection of specific antibodies by ELISA and seems to be an effective tool for discrimination of MAA-infected pigs. In the case of MAH infection, the IFN-γ release assay could fail because of the low immunogenic capacity of the MAH strain.

Cell-mediated immune response in swine infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium.

The zoonotic characteristic of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium (MAA) represents a veterinary and economic problem in infected pigs. In this study, we analysed cell-mediated immunity six months after experimental infection by measuring interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production and by performing lymphocyte transformation tests after in vitro re-stimulation with the MAA-derived antigen. At the same time, IFN-γ-producing cells were characterised by flow cytometry. In MAA-infected animals, the production of IFN-γ increased in response to the MAA antigen in the blood, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. Similarly, a positive antigen-driven response was detected by the proliferation assay. In contrast, IFN-γ production and proliferation was undetectable after stimulation with the MAA antigen in uninfected control animals. These results indicate that both methods can be used for the identification of individual MAA-infected pigs. Using flow cytometry, we found that double-positive CD4(+)CD8(+) lymphocytes were the major T lymphocyte subset producing IFN-γ after in vitro re-stimulation.

SPI-1-encoded type III secretion system of Salmonella enterica is required for the suppression of porcine alveolar macrophage cytokine expression.

Genes localized at Salmonella pathogenicity island-1 (SPI-1) are involved in Salmonella enterica invasion of host non-professional phagocytes. Interestingly, in macrophages, SPI-1-encoded proteins, in addition to invasion, induce cell death via activation of caspase-1 which also cleaves proIL-1ß and proIL-18, precursors of 2 proinflammatory cytokines. In this study we were therefore interested in whether SPI-1-encoded type III secretion system (T3SS) may influence proinflammatory response of macrophages. To test this hypothesis, we infected primary porcine alveolar macrophages with wild-type S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis and their isogenic SPI-1 deletion mutants. ΔSPI1 mutants of both serovars invaded approx. 5 times less efficiently than the wild-type strains and despite this, macrophages responded to the infection with ΔSPI1 mutants by increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-8, TNFα, IL-23α and GM-CSF. Identical macrophage responses to that induced by the ΔSPI1 mutants were also observed to the infection with sipB but not the sipA mutant. The hilA mutant exhibited an intermediate phenotype between the ΔSPI1 mutant and the wild-type S. Enteritidis. Our results showed that the SPI-1-encoded T3SS is required not only for cell invasion but in macrophages also for the suppression of early proinflammatory cytokine expression.

Cytokine mRNA expression in porcine cell lines stimulated by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is an extracellular bacterium that causes post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets with different severity of clinical signs. The pathogenesis of ETEC is ascribed to the effect of enterotoxins. ETEC colonizes ileum and probably can penetrate the epithelium and stimulate macrophages. The aim of study was to examine whether there is any difference in cytokine response in vitro produced by two porcine cell lines, intestinal epithelial cell line (IPI-2I) and macrophage cell line (3D4/31) after stimulation with different serotypes of ETEC associated with different clinical course of PWD in piglets. Three serotypes, O149:K88 (F4), O147:F18 and O8:K88, were used. We observed that all the used serotypes were unable to induce IL-8 and TNF-alpha mRNA expression in IPI-2I cell line as measured by the real-time RT-PCR. In 3D4/31 cell line, we detected differences in cytokine response among the used serotypes. The highest IL-8 and TNF-alpha mRNA expression in 3D4/31 was detected after stimulation with serotype O149:K88 frequently associated with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

Quantitative nitric oxide production by rat, bovine and porcine macrophages.

The aim of this work was to compare in vitro nitric oxide (NO) production by rat, bovine and porcine macrophages. NO production was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) with ionomycin or recombinant interferon gamma (rIFN-gamma) and was assessed by Griess reaction. NO synthase type II (NOS II) expression was quantified by immunocytochemistry, Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). There were differences in NO production by pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) in all species tested. The largest amounts of NO were produced by rat PAM. Less NO was produced by bovine PAM. Moreover, PAM in rats and cows differed in their abilities to respond to various stimulators. Neither porcine PAM nor Kupffer cells produced NO. Stimulation of porcine PAM with alternative concentrations of LPS did not lead to inducing NO production. Stimulation of porcine PAM with rIFN-gamma together with LPS led to a significant increase in the expression of NOS II mRNA, albeit without detectable NO production or NOS II expression on the protein level.

A correlation of in vitro tests for the immune response detection: a bovine trichophytosis model.

The aim of our study was to extend knowledge about possibilities of replacing challenge tests by in vitro methods in cattle on the model of trichophytosis. We correlated results of three in vitro tests for the detection of immune response, i.e. a specific antigen-driven lymphocyte transformation test measured by (3)H-thymidine incorporation, specific antigen-induced production of interferon-gamma and detection of IgG1 and IgG2 isotypes of specific antibodies, in calves vaccinated against the disease or challenged with Trichophyton verrucosum as causative agent. The results obtained in the present study by different methods are correlated together. Lymphocyte transformation test correlated positively with interferon-gamma production. Ratio of IgG1 to IgG2 isotypes of antibody correlated negatively with both cell-mediated methods. Moreover the results show that any of the methods might in future replace the in vivo challenge tests that are still conventionally used for testing of newly developed vaccines.