African Trypanosomes Undermine Humoral Responses and Vaccine Development: Link with Inflammatory Responses?

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Abstract

African trypanosomosis is a debilitating disease of great medical and socioeconomical importance. It is caused by strictly extracellular protozoan parasites capable of infecting all vertebrate classes including human, livestock, and game animals. To survive within their mammalian host, trypanosomes have evolved efficient immune escape mechanisms and manipulate the entire host immune response, including the humoral response. This report provides an overview of how trypanosomes initially trigger and subsequently undermine the development of an effective host antibody response. Indeed, results available to date obtained in both natural and experimental infection models show that trypanosomes impair homeostatic B-cell lymphopoiesis, B-cell maturation and survival and B-cell memory development. Data on B-cell dysfunctioning in correlation with parasite virulence and trypanosome-mediated inflammation will be discussed, as well as the impact of trypanosomosis on heterologous vaccine efficacy and diagnosis. Therefore, new strategies aiming at enhancing vaccination efficacy could benefit from a combination of (i) early parasite diagnosis, (ii) anti-trypanosome (drugs) treatment, and (iii) anti-inflammatory treatment that collectively might allow B-cell recovery and improve vaccination
Original languageEnglish
Article number582
Pages (from-to)582
Number of pages14
JournalFrontiers in Immunology
Volume8
Issue numberMAY
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 May 2017

Keywords

  • African trypanosomosis
  • B-cell lymphopoiesis
  • Inflammation
  • Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)
  • T-cells
  • Vaccination strategies

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