Respiratory allergy symptoms and cytokine profiles in the presence of anti-Ascaris antibody in Giardia lamblia-infected children.

Anti-Ascaris lumbricoides (Asc) IgE and IgG can immunomodulate the allergy; however, the influence of these isotypes has not been investigated in the giardiasis and allergy. Therefore, the frequency of respiratory allergy (RA) symptoms in Giardia lamblia-infected children, with or without anti-Asc IgE, IgG1, or IgG4 and Th1, Th2/Treg, and Th17 cytokine production, was evaluated. We performed a case-control study with children aged 2-10 years old selected by questionnaire and stool exams to form the groups: infected or uninfected with RA (G-RA, n = 55; nG-RA, n = 43); infected and uninfected without RA (G-nRA, n = 59; nG-nRA, n = 54). We performed blood leukocyte counts and in vitro culture. Cytokine levels in the supernatants (CBA), serum total IgE and anti-Asc IgE (ImmunoCAP), IgG1, IgG4, and total IgA (ELISA) were measured. Infection was not associated with allergy. Infected children showed increased levels of anti-Asc IgG1, IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10. There was a lower frequency of allergy-related symptoms in anti-Asc IgG1-positive children than IgG1-negative (OR = 0.38; CI = 0.17-0.90, p = 0.027) and few eosinophils in G-RA than in G-nRA and more in G-nRA than in nG-nRA, whereas TNF-α levels were higher in the G-RA than in the nG-nRA group. For infected and positive anti-Asc IgG1, there was higher TNF-α and IL-10 production than G/-IgG1. IL-10 levels were lower in nG/ + IgG1 than in infected or non-infected, and both were negative for anti-Asc IgG1. Th1/Th2/IL-10 profiles were stimulated in the infected patients, and in those with circulating anti-Asc IgG1, the TNF-α production was strengthened with a lower risk for respiratory allergy symptoms.

Schistosoma mansoni infection is associated with decreased risk of respiratory allergy symptoms and low production of CCL2.

OBJECTIVES: We measured the production of cytokines, chemokines and antibodies involved in allergic responses and sCD23 levels during Schistosoma mansoni infection. METHODS: Individuals (n = 164) were selected using the ISAAC questionnaire and parasitological exams. The subjects were divided as follows: those infected individuals with allergy-related symptoms (A-I), those with allergy-related symptoms only (A-NI); those only infected (NA-I); and those non-infected individuals without allergy-related symptoms (NA-NI). We used supernatants from cell culture (mitogenic stimulation) to measure cytokine and chemokine levels using cytometric bead arrays. Serum levels of anti-Ascaris lumbricoides (Asc) and anti-Blomia tropicalis IgE were measured using ImmunoCAP, and sCD23 was measured using ELISA. RESULTS: Schistosoma mansoni infection was associated with a lower risk of allergy-related symptoms. In A-I, there were higher levels of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, IFN-γ and CXCL8 than in NA-NI group, with TNF-α and IL-6 also at higher levels compared to A-NI group. Levels of IL-6, CXCL8, total and anti-Asc IgE, as well as the numbers of eosinophils, were higher in NA-I than in NA-NI, and the antibodies were also lower in A-NI than in NA-I group. In AI and NA-I, there was less production of CCL2 than in NA-NI. There were no differences in the levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-17, CCL5, sCD23 and anti-Blomia IgE. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with allergy-related symptoms and infected (simultaneously) had higher levels of IL-10; due to the infection, there was increased production of IL-6 and CXCL8 and less CCL2. These data may characterize deviation to Th1 or attenuation of the Th2 response in allergy sufferers in areas endemic for schistosomiasis.