| First Author | Vallance BA | Year | 1999 |
| Journal | Am J Physiol | Volume | 277 |
| Issue | 2 Pt 1 | Pages | G400-8 |
| PubMed ID | 10444455 | Mgi Jnum | J:56839 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1342795 | Doi | 10.1152/ajpgi.1999.277.2.G400 |
| Citation | Vallance BA, et al. (1999) IL-5 contributes to worm expulsion and muscle hypercontractility in a primary T. spiralis infection. Am J Physiol 277(2 Pt 1):G400-8 |
| abstractText | Enteric nematode infections lead to increased interleukin (IL)-5 expression, eosinophilic inflammation, and intestinal smooth muscle hypercontractility. Although eosinophils release inflammatory mediators that cause smooth muscle contraction, the role of IL-5 and eosinophils in enteric smooth muscle hypercontractility is unclear. IL-5-deficient mice and their wild-type controls were infected with the nematode Trichinella spiralis. Intestinal parasites and eosinophils were counted, and jejunal longitudinal muscle contractility was assessed. During infection, IL-5 gene expression increased significantly in wild-type mice and was accompanied by significant intestinal eosinophilia in wild-type but not IL-5-deficient mice. Although both strains developed increased muscle contractility during infection, contraction was significantly less in the IL-5-deficient mice at days 16 and 21 postinfection. In addition, parasite expulsion was transiently delayed at day 16 in IL-5-deficient mice. Thus, in the nematode-infected mouse, IL-5 appears essential for intestinal eosinophilia and contributes to, but is not essential for, the development of muscle hypercontractility. IL-5 also appears to play a minor role in expelling a primary T. spiralis infection from the gut. |
