Abstract
Leishmania parasites cause human diseases ranging from self-healing cutaneous ulcers to fatal systemic infections. In addition, many individuals become infected without developing disease. In mice the two subsets of CD4+ T cells, Th1 and Th2, have different effects on the outcome of experimental Leishmania infections. Th1 cells producing interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mediate resistance, whereas Th2 cells producing interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-10 are associated with susceptibility and exacerbation. Evidence is accumulating that a Th1/Th2 dichotomy in the T-cell response to Leishmania exists also in humans, and that the balance between subsets of parasite-specific T cells may play an important regulatory role in determining the outcome of the infections.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Acta Pathologica Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica |
| Volume | 102 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 81-8 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| ISSN | 0903-4641 |
| Publication status | Published - 1994 |
