Interleukin 18 participates in the early inflammatory response and bacterial clearance during pneumonia caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

Abstract

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a common gram-negative respiratory pathogen. To determine the role of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 18 (IL-18) during NTHi pneumonia, normal wild-type (WT) and IL-18 knockout (KO) mice were intranasally infected with NTHi. IL-18 KO mice displayed a delayed clearance of NTHi from the respiratory tract, resulting in >20-fold higher bacterial loads in their lungs at 24 h after infection, preceded by a strongly attenuated pulmonary innate immune response as determined by cytokine and chemokine induction and histopathology. These data identify IL-18 as part of an adequate innate immune response during NTHi pneumonia.

• Authors: Catharina W Wieland, Sandrine Florquin, Tom van der Poll
• Journal: Infection and immunity (Infect Immun) Vol. 75 Issue 10 Pg. 5068-72 (Oct 2007) ISSN: 0019-9567 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17664259 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Chemokines
• Cytokines
• Interleukin-18

Topics

• Animals
• Chemokines (biosynthesis)
• Colony Count, Microbial
• Cytokines (biosynthesis)
• Haemophilus Infections (immunology)
• Haemophilus influenzae (immunology)
• Interleukin-18 (immunology)
• Lung (microbiology, pathology)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Mice, Knockout
• Models, Biological
• Pneumonia, Bacterial (immunology)