Brucella abortus and Pregnancy in Mice: Impact of Chronic Infection on Fertility and the Role of Regulatory T Cells in Tissue Colonization.
Abstract
Stealthy intracellular bacterial pathogens are known to establish persistent and sometimes lifelong infections. Some of these pathogens also have a tropism for the reproductive system, thereby increasing the risk of reproductive disease and infertility. To date, the pathogenic mechanism involved remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that Brucella abortus, a notorious reproductive pathogen, has the ability to infect the nonpregnant uterus, sustain infection, and induce inflammatory changes during both acute and chronic stages of infection. In addition, we demonstrated that chronically infected mice had a significantly reduced number of pregnancies compared to naive controls. To investigate the immunologic mechanism responsible for uterine tropism, we explored the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the pathogenesis of Brucella abortus infection. We show that highly suppressive CD4+FOXP3+TNFR2+ Tregs contribute to the persistence of Brucella abortus infection and that inactivation of Tregs with tumor necrosis factor receptor II (TNFR2) antagonistic antibody protected mice by significantly reducing bacterial burden both systemically and within reproductive tissues. These findings support a critical role of Tregs in the...Continue Reading
References
Brucella abortus-infected macrophages modulate T lymphocytes to promote osteoclastogenesis via IL-17
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Brucellosis (ASM)
Brucellosis is a bacterial infection caused by members of the genus brucella and remains one of the world's major zoonotic diseases. Discover the latest research on Brucellosis here.
Brucellosis
Brucellosis is a bacterial infection caused by members of the genus brucella and remains one of the world's major zoonotic diseases. Discover the latest research on Brucellosis here.