"New Paradigms of Host Resistance to African Trypanosomiasis "

"New Paradigms of Host Resistance to African Trypanosomiasis "

John Mansfield, Ph.D.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wed, 10/21/2015 - 4:00pm

221 Integrated Sciences Building

Research Summary: Research in the Mansfield laboratory focuses on the complex immunobiological relationship between host and parasite in African trypanosomiasis, a fatal protozoan disease of man and animals.
Initial studies examined the immunogenetics of resistance to disease by utilizing genetically altered host animals and genetically modified trypanosomes. These studies showed that CD4 T cells and interferon gamma play an important role in control of disease progression. Recent work in the Mansfield laboratory has determined the impact of immunization with relatively conserved C terminal peptides of the trypanosome's variable surface glycoprotein coat on Trypanosome brucei-induced CD4 T cell recall responses and interferon gamma production. Strikingly, CD4 T cell interferon gamma responses against the conserved VSG peptides, which were absent in naive infected mice, were strongly present in the immunized infected mice. Furthermore these immunized mice did not develop trypanosomiasis-associated pathology. Future studies are aimed at optimizing this recall CD4 T cell response to control or cure trypanosomiasis.

Notes: 

Refreshments at 3:45pm