Immunity to Schistosoma mansoni in guinea-pigs vaccinated with radiation-attenuated cercariae: T-cell activation of macrophages for larval killing

This study addresses macrophage activation in guinea-pigs vaccinated with radiation-attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni. Peritoneal exudate macrophages elicited in vaccinated animals by mineral oil injection were activated to kill larval schistosomes in vitro. Killing efficiency is dependent upon the cell: target ratio employed and is enhanced by, but is not strictly dependent on, the presence of specific antibodies. Macrophages co-cultured with parasites release superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide, but the use of inhibitors has shown that neither of these reactive oxygen intermediates are the causal agents of cellular cytotoxicity in this system. Oil-elicited macrophages from naive guinea-pigs do not show comparable activation; they can, however, be activated in vitro by incubation with culture supernatant fluids from schistosome antigen-stimulated spleen, or lymph node cells harvested from vaccinated guinea-pigs. Naive macrophages activated in this way kill schistosomula in vitro and release the activation markers IL-1 and superoxide anion. The macrophage-activating factor (MAF) present in spleen cell culture supernatant fluids has a MW of 35,000-55,000, but does not have the chemical characteristics of gamma-interferon. In this study MAF is shown to be released by a population of lymph node cells that does not adhere to nylon-wool columns, that responds well in proliferation assays to schistosome antigens and to the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A, but does not respond to the B-cell mitogen lipopolysaccharide. These cells have been identified as small lymphocytes.