Antibody-dependent cell-mediated immune reactions to Loa loa microfilariae in amicrofilaraemic subjects

Abstract

Antibody-mediated mechanisms that could be important in controlling microfilaraemia in Loa loa infected amicrofilaraemic adults (mf-ve) were studied. These subjects were selected as having a verified ocular passage of an adult L. loa but being amicrofilaraemic and without recent diethylcarbamazine treatment. Sera from 37 mf-ve subjects were compared to 14 sera from heavily (greater than 4000 mf/ml) infected subjects (mf+ve) and 9 sera from Caucasian control subjects for their reactions with L. loa mf (mf). Many mf-ve sera (22/37) were strongly positive in immunofluorescence (IFAT) on living mf. Mf+ve sera were negative, or only weakly positive, and Caucasian sera were negative. Clinical signs were not significantly different between IFAT reactive and non-reactive mf-ve subjects. Approximately half of the IFAT positive, mf-ve sera were also able to agglutinate mf; no other sera were active in this test. Titres ranged from log2 3-6 and in most cases, 9/11, the agglutination reaction was mercaptoethanol-sensitive. Antibody-dependent cellular adherence was studied using mf and leukocytes from uninfected donors. Using cryopreserved mf many heat-inactivated mf-ve sera gave strong reactions with obvious adherence by 4 h and few motile mf remained by 16 h but when fresh mf were employed these reactions were weak. However, addition of complement to many (10/11) mf-ve sera considerably enhanced adherence to fresh mf. The effect of various treatments on the complement source indicated a role for both the classical and alternative pathways. The cells attached to mf were mainly neutrophils (83%) with some eosinophils (15%) and few mononuclear cells (2%). The common occurrence of antibodies able to mediate complement-dependent adherence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes to L. loa mf in the sera of mf-ve subjects may indicate that such a mechanism is important in controlling microfilaraemia in vivo.