Humoral and cellular immune response of cats and horses infected by Leishmania spp.

• Grant number: 16/08018-4
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: September 01, 2016 - August 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal researcher: Trícia Maria Ferreira de Sousa Oliveira
• Grantee: Trícia Maria Ferreira de Sousa Oliveira
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: Wilma Aparecida Starke Buzetti

Abstract

Cats and horses are animals that can be infected by parasites of the genus Leishmania spp .. However, often these animals do not develop clinical signs of disease, and when they develop, do not always have a humoral immune response detectable by serological techniques, suggesting the predominance of a cellular immune response in these species. Thus, the aim of this study is to characterize and correlate mechanisms of humoral and cellular immune response of cats and horses naturally infected with Leishmania spp. For each animal species (cat/horse) will be formed two groups of at least 15 animals each. The first group will consist of animals infected with Leishmania spp., from an endemic area for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and the second group(control group) for clinically healthy animals, not an endemic area for LV with negative serologic and molecular tests for infection with Leishmania spp. The humoral and cellular immune response of the animals will be evaluated by quantification of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgE, IgG and IgM) in serum, evaluation of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-±, IFN-³, IL-2, IL-4, IL -10, IL-12 and TGF-²) in the blood; evaluation of intradermal reaction (Montenegro test) and determination of subpopulations of T lymphocytes CD4+ and CD8+ in the blood. The results in infected and uninfected animals will be compared and the differences evaluated by statistical tests. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

VIOTI, GEOVANNA; DA SILVA, MARIANA DANTAS; GALVIS-OVALLOS, FREDY; ALVES, MARIA LUANA; DA SILVA, DIOGO TIAGO; FRANCO LEONEL, JOAO AUGUSTO; BALBINI PEREIRA, NUNO WOLFGANG; BENASSI, JULIA CRISTINA; PEREIRA SPADA, JULIO CESAR; MAIA, CARLA; BIANCHI GALATI, EUNICE APARECIDA; STARKE-BUZETTI, WILMA APARECIDA; FERREIRA DE SOUSA OLIVEIRA, TRICIA MARIA. Xenodiagnosis in four domestic cats naturally infected by Leishmania infantum. TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES, JUL 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.