Cellular immune reactions of mice with alveolar echinococcosis after albendazole therapy

Therapy of alveolar echinococcosis with benzimidazole derivates can induce changes in immune system. Therefore the effect of albendazole on selected immunological parameters in mice infected intraperitoneally with Echinococcus multilocularis protoscoleces was observed. Albendazole was administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) twice a week from week 5 to 10 after the infection. The proliferative response of splenic T and B lymphocytes to Concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide in infected hosts was inhibited nearly during the whole time of the observation (182 days). The restoration of the proliferative activity suppressed with the parasite was found after the application of albendazole (ABZ). The numbers of CD4+ T subpopulation in spleen was markedly accumulated in two peaks until after the therapy termination. The numbers of CD8+ T subpopulation only moderately increased after the last dose of an anthelmintic drug. The production of superoxide anion in peritoneal macrophages, which was inhibited during the therapy, started sharply to increase until the last dose of a drug and exceeded the values of untreated hosts. In comparison with untreated and infected mice, the concentration of serum cytokine IFN-gamma (Th1 immune response) increased markedly for long time during and after the therapy. Whereas Th2 response, represented by IL-5, was suppressed during the therapy. The significant and long-time rise of the IL-5 concentration was recorded until 2 weeks after the therapy termination in comparison with untreated and infected group. After the therapy the E. multilocularis metacestode cyst weight in hosts decreased nearly by the third and the number of protoscoleces in cysts was significantly reduced in comparison with infected mice without the ABZ application. The next rise of the cyst biomass weight was found in 8 weeks after the ending of therapy. The present results suggest that therapy of the infected mice restored of the function activity of the immunocompetent cells, increased the metabolic activity macrophages and supported of Th1 immune response.