Animal leptospirosis: unmasking cellular immunity

• Grant number: 19/09896-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2020
• End date: April 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Bryan Heinemann
• Grantee: Marcos Bryan Heinemann
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated researchers: Adriana Cortez ; Antonio Francisco de Souza Filho ; Fernando Nogueira de Souza ; Patricia Antonia Estima Abreu de Aniz

Abstract

Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonosis of importance both to public health and animal health. And one of the key control measures is vaccination, where the hamster is the animal model determined for vaccine testing, but knowledge of the dynamics of the cellular response is currently limited even in this model. Thus, the present project has as main objective to evaluate the immune response of Leptospira spp. in animal model. To do so, the project will be divided into two experiments, the first will be the evaluation of the hamster cell response to the challenge with Leptospira interrogans serogroup Canicola serovar Canicola strain LO4, pathogenic to hamster and Leptospira interrogans serogroup Canicola serovar Canicola strain Utrecht, non-pathogenic to hamster. As a methodology we will quantify the subpopulations of T lymphocytes (CD3 +, CD4 +, CD8 +) and B cells by flow cytometry; lymphocyte proliferation, cytokine production (interferon-³, interleukin-4 and interleukin-17A) and determine the humoral response by measuring IgG1, IgG2 and total IgG. The second experiment will have the same analyzes, but against animals vaccinated with homologous experimental and commercial bacterin. Furthermore, in the second experiment, the unopsonized and opsonized phagocytosis by blood neutrophil will also be assessed by flow cytometry. (AU)