Five cases of Candida peritonitis were diagnosed, representing the second most frequent cause of invasive fungal infection in the cohort. The incidence rate of Candida peritonitis during the first 30 days after transplantation was 6.5 cases/10 000 transplant days in pancreas recipients and 1.2 cases/10 000 transplant days in liver recipients (P = 0.035). Four of the five patients received an echinocandin in combination with other antifungal. All patients were alive and with good graft function at 1-year follow-up. In our series, Candida peritonitis

in liver and pancreas transplant recipients was not uncommon and had a good prognosis. “
“Vulvovaginal candidosis (VVC) is a common infection of the female genital tract affecting 75% women at least once in their selleck lifetime. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and potential risk factors associated with VVC and recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis (RVVC). A prospective study of women with vaginitis symptoms was conducted over 2 years in the regional clinic of population and family education in Sfax. A discriminant analysis was used to evaluate the association between the incidence of Candida vaginitis and potential risk

factors. Sporadic and recurrent VVC were documented respectively in 48% and 6.1%. The most frequent factors associated with positive Candida culture were employed women, uncontrolled diabetes, history find more of genital infection and intrauterine device contraception. Increased episode numbers of VVC and condom/spermicidal contraception

were positively associated with recurrences. Candida albicans was the predominantly isolated species (76.3%) followed by Candida glabrata (19.3%). Infection with C. glabrata occurred in 34% and 17.5% of patients Sorafenib molecular weight with RVVC and VVC respectively. The discriminant investigation had provided further insights into the basis for prevention and control of RVVC. Increased prevalence of C. glabrata in patients with RVVC and observed risk factors should be taken into consideration to achieve success in the management of this infection. “
“Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in patients with haematological malignancies are difficult to diagnose and outcome is often fatal. Over the 7-month study period, 117 cases with haematological malignancies receiving systemic antifungal treatment were included. Data regarding antifungal agents, dosage and reason for administration were recorded. Fungal infections in study patients were classified as possible, probable or proven according to recent European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer criteria. During the study period, 690 cases with haematological malignancies were admitted. A total of 117 cases received systemic antifungal therapy. Twenty-four of 117 patients (21%) had possible, six (5.1%) had probable and four (3.4%) had proven IFI. Seven of 10 probable and proven infections were caused by Candida spp., 2 by Aspergillus spp. and 1 by a fungus belonging to Zygomycetes.

“
“Aim:  Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is secreted from adipose tissue and thought to contribute to obesity-related disorders. The aim of this study

was to assess if IL-6-knockout (IL-6-/-) mice would develop obesity-induced renal impairment. Methods:  Wild-type (WT) and IL-6-/- mice were high-fat fed (HFF) for 16 weeks to induce obesity. At the end of the study, renal function was measured via albumin/creatinine ratio and serum creatinine levels, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Glomerulosclerotic index (GSI) was scored in periodic acid Schiff-stained sections and collagen IV accumulation was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Renal cortical ABT-737 in vitro tumour growth factor beta (TGF-β1) activity and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were

measured via ELISA. Results:  Renal IL-6 concentrations were increased with obesity. Although both WT HFF and IL-6-/- HFF mice exhibited renal impairment as measured by increased serum creatinine and urinary albumin/creatinine ratios, this was exacerbated in IL-6-/- mice. Obese mice had renal activation of cortical TGF-β1, which was also higher in IL-6-/- mice. Collagen IV staining was not affected by obesity. GSI was increased with obesity in both see more WT and IL-6-/- mice. Conclusion:  Obese IL-6-/- mice demonstrated renal functional and structural abnormalities above that seen in obese WT mice. We suggest that absence or low IL-6 levels may be an important accelerating factor implicated in the development and progression of obesity-induced

SPTLC1 renal disease. “
“IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is recurrent after transplantation; however, its time of recurrence is unpredictable. To date, factors influencing IgAN recurrence have not been elucidated. We present a case of a 23-year-old man with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who underwent living-related ABO-identical pre-emptive kidney transplantation (PEKT) using his 57-year-old mother as a donor. IgAN started when the patient was 19 years old, and renal biopsy revealed the usual pathological findings of IgAN. In spite of steroid therapy including steroid pulse and tonsillectomy, the patient developed nephrotic syndrome and progressed to ESRD in 4 years. Protocol biopsy on day 19 following PEKT revealed active recurrent IgAN. Nephrotic-range proteinuria and mild deterioration of kidney function developed regardless of strong immunosuppressive therapy such as steroid pulse, double filtration plasmapheresis and rituximab. We report a case of refractory IgAN that recurred 19 days after transplantation. This case is considered of value to elucidate factors leading to active IgAN recurrence. IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis that causes end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 20–40% of patients.[1] The success rate of kidney transplantation for patients with IgAN-induced ESRD was believed to be good.

At 46 days of age, the chickens in each group were challenged i.v. with 0.5 mL of a bacterial suspension containing 108 CFU/mL of E. coli O78 strain J46, which harbors the iss, tsh cvaC, and papC genes. RGFP966 in vivo The LD50 value of this challenge strain for i.v. infection against 5-week-old chickens is 2.9 × 107 CFU /bird. The challenged chickens were observed for 7 days, and their clinical signs scored as follows: none = 0, reluctance to walk = 1, mild depression or ataxia = 2, depression or astasia = 3, death = 4. Dead chickens were necropsied immediately on the day of death. Seven days after challenge exposure, the surviving chickens

were killed and necropsied. Macroscopic lesions were recorded and scored separately for each organ as follows: heart and pericardium (normal = 0, turbid with excessive or cloudy fluid in the pericardial cavity or partial pericarditis = 1, marked pericarditis = 2, severe pericarditis or death = 3); liver (normal = 0, small amount of fibrinous exudate = 1, marked perihepatitis = 2, severe perihepatitis or death = 3). Samples for bacteriologic examination were taken from the liver and heart of each chicken at necropsy. Twenty 19-day-old embryonated eggs

were allotted to two equal groups and immunized with AESN1331 or sterile PBS. Each egg was oriented with check details the large end up and a hole punched in its top with an 18-gauge needle. Using a 21-gauge needle, an inoculum of 10 μL (103 CFU) of AESN1331 per egg (or an equivalent volume of PBS) was injected into the amniotic fluid. All inoculated eggs were then hatched in the same incubator. Hatching was assessed after 21.5 days of incubation. Until exposure to challenge, the hatched chickens were monitored daily for signs of illness and for death. At 28 days of age, all chickens were challenged and assessed as described above. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the number of dead chickens and the number of organs positive for the challenge Cobimetinib concentration strain in each group. Student’s two-tailed t-test was employed to compare the clinical and the lesion scores between experimental groups. A P value of < 0.05 was considered significant. We compared the in

vitro and in vivo properties of the mutant strain to those of the parent; results are summarized in Table 1. As with the parent, E. coli O78 antiserum agglutinated AESN1331. Colonies of the mutant were smaller than those of the parent. AESN1331 colonies were colorless on MacConkey agar, demonstrating an inability to ferment lactose. AESN1331 also was unable to ferment D-mannose, D-sorbitol, L-rhamnose, sucrose and D-melibiose, but could still ferment glucose and L-arabinose. Although the mutant had lost tryptophan deaminase activity and indole production, the strain resembled its parent in harboring β-galactosidase, lysine decarboxylase, ornithine decarboxylase, and oxidase activities while lacking arginine dihydrolase, citrate production, H2S production, urease, acetoin production, gelatinase, and ability to reduce NO3− to NO2−.

Liver tissue samples were snap-frozen in Optimal Cutting Temperature compound (OCT) and cryostat sections (5 μm) stained for B cells (CD19; green), DCs (CD11c; red) and nuclei (DRAQ5; blue). Fluorescent images were captured with an Olympus Fluoview 1000 confocal microscope (software version 1·7a). Differences in levels of cytokine production and surface marker expression between the various groups were analysed by unpaired Trichostatin A in vivo Student’s t-test. P < 0·05 was considered significant. TLRs are the best-defined innate immune sensors that detect MAMPs. Recent evidence supports a role of TLRs in B cell activation and function [19]. We thus determined the expression of

activation markers on B6 mouse freshly isolated liver versus splenic B cells from either LPS (TLR-4 ligand)-treated

or untreated wild-type mice. As shown in Fig. 1a,b, hepatic but not splenic B cells up-regulated their cell surface expression of CD39, CD40, CD80 and CD86 within 24 h of LPS administration. By day 3, expression levels had returned to the normal steady-state level. This suggests that hepatic B cells respond in situ to systemic TLR-4 stimulation more strongly than splenic B cells. Because it has been reported that LPS and poly I:C (TLR-3 ligand) may have different effects on B cells [16], we next examined B lymphocytes isolated from either poly I:C-treated or untreated wild-type mice. As shown in Supplementary Fig. S1, both hepatic check details and splenic B cells up-regulated their expression of CD39, CD40, CD80, CD86 and PD-L1. This suggests that hepatic and splenic B cells respond in situ to systemic TLR-3 stimulation in a similar manner. In response to TLR stimulation, different mouse splenic B cell subsets exhibit different cytokine secretion profiles [19]. For instance, spleen B1 and marginal zone (MZ) B cells secrete more IL-10, while follicular B cells secrete more IFN-γ [19]. We next examined the pattern of in-vitro

LPS-induced cytokine production by hepatic and splenic B cells. Compared selleck inhibitor with splenic B cells, hepatic B cells secreted significantly more IFN-γ, IL-6 and TNF-α (Fig. 1c). In contrast, splenic B cells comprised significantly more IL-10 producers (Fig. 1d,e) and secreted much larger amounts of IL-10 than hepatic B cells (Fig. 1c). Consistent with this finding, the spleen exhibited significantly higher percentages of B1a and MZ B cells and a lower incidence of follicular B cells than the liver (Fig. 2). As IL-10 appears to play a pivotal role in the suppressive function of Breg [20], our findings that the liver lacks B1a and MZ-like B cells, and that LPS-stimulated hepatic B cells secrete very low levels of IL-10, suggest that B10 cells are not a prominent regulatory cell subset in mouse liver. There is evidence that the tolerogenic milieu in the normal mouse liver inhibits hepatic mDC differentiation/maturation [3].

From 69 of those 248 patients, only tissue samples from recurrences were available. The use of human tissue was approved by the ethics committee at the university hospital Frankfurt (project number 4/09). All samples were assessed for IDH1 (R132H), p53 and Ki67 expression and neuropathologically reviewed according to the current WHO criteria for central nervous system (CNS) tumours [16]. All human tissue

specimens were cut with a microtome (3 μm thickness) and placed on SuperFrost-Plus slides (Microm International, Walldorf, Germany). Goat polyclonal anti-human FBP-1 antibody (dilution 1:100; clone N-15, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Heidelberg, Germany) was used for immunohistochemistry. Specificity of the antibody was tested by knock-down experiments

www.selleckchem.com/products/cx-5461.html (Supporting data and Figure S1). Tissue labelling was performed using the DiscoveryXT immunohistochemistry system (Ventana/Roche, Strasbourg, France). A cell conditioning pretreatment was performed for 36 min followed by a 4-min blocking step with inhibitor CM. The primary antibody was applied for 32 min, followed by a secondary rabbit anti-goat IgG (H + L) antibody (dilution 1:500; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc., West Grove, PA, USA) for 32 min. One drop of OmniMap anti-rabbit HRP (horseradish peroxidase) was added (Ventana) for a 16-min incubation. For diaminobenzidine (DAB) visualization, the sections were incubated with one drop of DAB CM and one drop of H2O2 CM (Ventana) for 8 min, followed by incubation with a copper enhancer (Ventana) RAD001 cost for 4 min. Finally, all sections were then washed,

counterstained with haematoxylin and mounted. The immunostainings for IDH-1, p53 and Ki-67 were performed using standard diagnostic protocols and the DiscoveryXT immunohistochemistry system (Ventana). The following antibodies were used: monoclonal mouse anti-human mIDH1 R132H (dilution 1:50; clone H09, DIANOVA GmbH, Hamburg, Germany), monoclonal mouse anti-human p53 (dilution 1:500, clone DO7, SPTLC1 BP53-12; NeoMarkers, Fremont, CA, USA) and monoclonal mouse anti-human Ki-67 (dilution 1:200, Clone MIB-1, Dako, Glostrup, Denmark). Immunofluorescent double staining was performed with the following antibodies: goat polyclonal anti-human FUBP1 (dilution 1:100; clone N-15, Santa Cruz Biotechnology), mouse monoclonal IgG1 anti-human CD31 (dilution 1:200; clone JC70A, DAKO, Hamburg, Germany), rabbit polyclonal anti-human Olig2 (dilution 1:500; clone AB9610; Millipore, Schwalbach/Ts., Germany), rabbit polyclonal anti-human GFAP (dilution 1:10000; clone Z0334; DAKO), rabbit polyclonal anti-human Iba-1 (dilution 1:1000; Wako, Neuss, Germany), mouse monoclonal IgG1 anti-human NeuN (dilution 1:2000; clone A60; Millipore) and mouse monoclonal IgG1 anti-human Ki-67 (dilution 1:200; clone MIB-1; DAKO).

[18, 50, 51, 59-61] Some of these soluble factors play a major role in the recruitment and attraction of fetal trophoblasts (i.e. CXCL10/IP-10, CXCL8/IL-8, CXCL12/SDF-1 and CCL2/MCP-1).[18, 50, 51, 59, 61] In contrast, invasive fetal trophoblasts can also help in the accumulation of dNK cells at the maternal decidua through the secretion of chemokines, such as SDF-1 and MIP-1α.[43] Other factors, such as vascular endothelial

growth factor (VEGF) C produced by dNK cells, can participate in immune tolerance by inducing TAP-1 expression, MHC class I Cyclopamine mouse molecule assembly and cell surface expression on trophoblasts.[60] The fact that this secretion profile can be modulated by the ligation of a specific NK cell receptor suggests that the cross-talk between dNK cells and the invasive trophoblast

expressing NKR ligands can regulate the secretion abilities of dNK cells.[62] Evidence for the contribution of uterine NK cells in early phases of decidual angiogenesis was first provided by B.A. Croy and her colleagues using several strains of immunodeficient mice.[63-65] The picture is less clear in humans and the role of dNK cells in vascular remodelling is based on observations showing the presence of dNK cells in the vicinity of changing vessels. However, even if the role of human dNK cells in vasculature remodelling is not yet fully elucidated, these cells produce various pro-angiogenic and growth factors such as placental growth factor, VEGF A, and VEGF C, which can favour angiogenesis.[50, 60, 66] Vascular remodelling occurs in see more two steps that result in loss of the musculo-elastic structure and formation of breaks in the endothelial layer, which is then followed by the attraction of EVTs that become endovascular

trophoblasts and replace the endothelium lining deep into the endometrium and partly into the myometrium.[67, 68] Both steps have been linked to the presence of dNK cells at the vicinity of the changing vessels. Changes of uterine arteries are crucial for the success of pregnancy because they ensure minimal vessel C59 resistance and high blood flow of nutrients as well as oxygen to the conceptus.[14, 19] Immunohistochemical studies have demonstrated that the initial step of vasculature remodelling that takes place before the invasion of fetal trophoblasts is associated with significant accumulation of dNK cells and decidual macrophages within the vascular wall,[69, 70] and more recently R. Fraser and his colleagues confirmed the contribution of dNK cells to early phases of vascular remodelling in human pregnancy.[71] Defaults in trophoblast invasion and/or vascular remodelling are hallmarks of pathological pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia. Genetic studies suggested that special combinations of fetal HLA-C haplotypes and maternal dNK cell inhibitory KIRs increased the likelihood of pre-eclampsia.

© 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Microsurgery, 2011. “
“Thumb-tip defect is a common traumatic disease, and replantation of an amputated thumb-tip is the first choice of treatment when available. When an amputee is not available, local

flaps such as volar advancement flap are used for reconstruction. However, it is difficult to cover whole defect area by a local flap when a defect is relatively large. In this report, we present a case of the Temsirolimus cell line use of a free great toe hemi-pulp flap transfer to reconstruct a thumb-tip defect. A 69-year-old right-handed male suffered from the right thumb-tip crush amputation in Tamai Zone 2. The distal phalanx and the nail matrix were preserved, and the defect size was 5 cm × 4 cm. The thumb-tip was reconstructed with a free great toe hemi-pulp

flap under local anesthesia. The flap included extended subcutaneous adiposal tissue (skin size 4.5 cm × 3 cm; fat size 4.5 cm × 5.5 cm) to reconstruct the nail bed, and was transversely inset at the recipient site to cover the whole area of the defect. The donor site could be primarily closed without skin DAPT purchase grafting. At postoperative 6 months, the patient was satisfied with good results of the reconstructed thumb-tip and the donor site. Transversely-inset great toe hemi-pulp flap may be useful to reconstruct a thumb-tip defect, which allows relatively wide defect reconstruction. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery, 2014. “
“Free bone or periosteal flaps from the medial femoral condyle are being many employed for treatment of recalcitrant nonunions. When harvested in a corticocancellous fashion, these flaps have the potential to compromise

the stability of the femur. This study is designed to test the axial stability of the femur after harvest of corticocancellous flaps using a standardized composite femur model. Corticocancellous defects of standardized width and depth (2 cm × 1 cm) were designed with increasing length (3-cm intervals extending from 3 to 24 cm) over the medial femoral condyle of five composite femur models. After harvest of each corticocancellous block, the femur was subjected to an axial force of 9100 N loaded and unloaded over one second using a Mini-Bionix load frame. During the application of force, load and deformation data were collected from the load cell and linear variable differential transducer. To determine changes in stiffness or deformation with increasing flap sizes, analysis of variance with repeated measures was used. If the main effect was found to be significant, a Tukey’s test was used to determine differences between specific flap sizes. There were no femur fractures in any femurs for any flap size. Deformation during load increased as the size of the flap increased (2.19 mm ± 0.062 mm for the 3-cm flap defect) to (2.33 mm ± 0.113 mm for the 24-cm flap defect).

While blockade of IL-6 by adding neutralizing antibodies against IL-6 and the IL-6 receptor α-chain at the beginning of the coculture greatly reduced the inhibitory effect of TLR7 HKI-272 price ligand on TGF-β-induced Foxp3 expression (13.9±0.3 versus 52.1±3.3% inhibition, p<0.01), neutralizing antibodies against IL-4 (31.3±8.8 versus 52.1±3.3% inhibition, p=0.04) and against IFN-γ (32.5±13.9 versus 52.1±3.3% inhibition, p=0.13) had only minor effects. However, simultaneous blockade of IL-6, IFN-γ,

and IL-4 from the beginning of the coculture entirely abrogated the inhibitory effect of TLR7 ligand on Foxp3 expression after 4 days (2.4±2.3 versus 52.1±3.3% inhibition, p<0.01, Fig. 3D). Neutralization of IL-6 in the supernatant of DCs stimulated with TLR7 ligand also reduced its inhibitory effect on TGF-β-induced Foxp3 expression in TLR7−/− T cells stimulated with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 (Supporting Information Fig. S1C). Accordingly, addition of recombinant IL-6 at the beginning of the DC–T-cell coculture significantly reduced Foxp3 expression

on day 4 (Fig. 3E). Thus, mostly IL-6 and to a minor extent IFN-γ and IL-4 produced in the DC–T-cell coculture are responsible for the observed reduction in Foxp3 expression in the presence of TLR7 ligand. The reduced percentage of Foxp3-expressing T cells measured after 4 days of DC–T-cell selleckchem coculture in the presence of TLR7 ligand could be due to reduced initial induction of Foxp3 expression by TGF-β in naïve T cells or to downregulation of Foxp3 expression during the coculture. Alternatively, reduced proliferation or survival of induced Foxp3+ as compared with Foxp3− T cells in the coculture could be responsible for the observed effect of TLR7 ligand. We therefore analyzed Foxp3 expression by flow cytometry at different time points during the DC–T-cell coculture in the presence or absence of TLR7 ligand. We observed that the initial induction of Foxp3 expression by TGF-β within the first 2–3 days was not affected by addition of TLR7 ligand (Fig. 4A, left panel). Foxp3 is functional at this

early time point, since Foxp3+ T cells isolated from TLR7 ligand containing Aspartate cocultures at day 2 suppress responder T-cell proliferation as efficiently as Foxp3+ T cells generated in the absence of TLR7 ligand (Fig. 5A, left panel). However, the percentage of Foxp3+ cells decreased progressively after 3 days in cocultures treated with TLR7 ligand, whereas it remained relatively stable in the absence of TLR7 ligand. In addition, the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of Foxp3 staining in Foxp3+ cells was significantly reduced in Tregs generated in the presence of TLR7 ligand in comparison to Tregs generated in the absence of TLR7 ligand at days 4 and 5 but not at earlier time points (Fig. 4A, right panel). IL-6 is already produced early after the beginning of the coculture stimulated with TLR7 ligand (day 1) and then further increases with incubation time (Supporting Information Fig. S2A).

Following incubation with 50% chamber fluid, the CD11b activation epitope was significantly induced compared with cells incubated with the corresponding serum. Furthermore, the expression induced by chamber fluid corresponded to the expression induced by 100 ng/ml recombinant IL-8. The result is in line with previous findings indicating an

increased expression of CBRM1/5 after 10 min of incubation with relatively strong activators such as phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and N-formylmethionyl leucyl phenylalanine (fMLP) [27], as well as weaker activators such as IL-8, C3a or platelet-activating factor (PAF) [28]. Interestingly, Ibrutinib in vivo in our model, which is based on mediators released during a physiological response, IL-8 was the sole mediator correlating to CD11b activation. To further examine the correlation between IL-8 and CD11b activation, the expression of CD11b activation epitope was assessed following in vitro incubation with recombinant IL-8 corresponding to the concentration in serum and chamber fluid. The expression of the activation epitope was concentration dependent and increased gradually at levels corresponding to chamber fluid. Interestingly, in a former publication, a single dose of 10 ng/ml IL-8 induced

an almost identical expression of CBRM1/5 as in the Deforolimus nmr present article using the same concentration [28]. In this article, we demonstrate for the first time a concentration-dependent induction of the CD11b activation epitope by use of both endogenous and recombinant IL-8. Recombinant IL-8 required 10 times

higher the concentration of IL-8 in chamber fluid to induce a similar activation of CD11b. This could be explained by an increased biological activity of IL-8 in vivo, which has been demonstrated following gelatinase-mediated truncations [29] or by the combined action of other inflammatory mediators, not by themselves correlating to the CBRM1/5 expression. In summary, the concentration of IL-8 was a major determinant for neutrophil transmigration both in vivo and in vitro. One BCKDHB possible mechanism could be through regulation of the activation epitope on CD11b, and the present data on an IL-8 dose-dependent activation of CD11b support this view. Endogenous IL-8, compared with recombinant, mounted an enhanced response, probably reflecting an increased potency of in vivo IL-8. We, therefore, suggest IL-8 to be a major determinant for neutrophil CD11b activation and extravasation. The authors would like to thank Anette Bygden-Nylander for assistance with the skin blister method. The study was supported by unrestricted grants from Karolinska Institute and Hesselman Foundation. JMP, JL and SHJ wrote the paper; JMP conceived, designed and performed the experiments; JMP and JL analysed the data; and SHJ contributed to reagents.

The responses seen in these early experiments raised questions about the integrity of immunity in IL-5 Tg mice. Issues of concern included the

impact of prolonged expression of beta-catenin activation IL-5 on B lymphocytes, antibody production, eosinophils and tissue repair and remodelling. Total and antigen-specific antibody isotype responses to influenza antigens and M. corti (56) and IgE induced by OVA (57) are comparable with those of WT littermates. As has been found in other types of IL-5 Tg mice (58,59), B1 lymphocytes are expanded in the peritoneal cavity in CD2/IL-5 Tg mice (Zhang and Dent, unpublished). Although eosinophils are associated with a minor delay in wound AP24534 cost healing (60) and retarded development of mammary glands (61) in CD2/IL-5 Tg mice, the

animals are otherwise apparently normal. Eosinophils from these mice have normal ultrastructure and are functional in a number of in vitro assays, including phagocytosis and killing of bacteria, in vitro chemotaxis to platelet activating factor (53) and OVA-induced degranulation in vivo (62). IL-5 transgenic mice are also highly resistant to chemically induced tumours (63), suggesting that eosinophils contribute to anti-tumour immunosurveillance. Most importantly, IL-5 Tg mice also proved to be highly resistant to primary infections with N. brasiliensis (54,64,65) and S. ratti (McKie,

Ovington, Behm and Dent, unpublished). Whilst we have not definitively established that eosinophils are responsible for resistance to N. brasiliensis in the IL-5 transgenic model, this seems to be the most likely explanation. IL-5 is relatively restricted in function, being a growth, differentiation, survival and activation factor for eosinophils (66). Prevention of eosinophil development and differentiation, either partially through deletion of IL-5 (67) or completely through the ΔdblGATA mutation (68), impairs but does not ablate resistance Acetophenone to N. brasiliensis in both primary and secondary infections (69). The ΔdblGATA mutation does not appear to directly impact on lymphocytes or on antibody production, though the absence of eosinophils may impair alum-induced priming of IgM-producing B lymphocytes (70). B1 cells may contribute to early primary immune responses against intestinal nematodes (71), so a more detailed study of the role of these cells in our models is warranted. Many of the publications on N. brasiliensis infections focus on the intestinal phase of the infection (18,72). Evidence of host resistance in WT permissive hosts during primary N. brasiliensis infections is usually measured at the gut stage, with adult worms expelled from mice 9–11 days pi., after eggs are produced.