Primed Peritoneal B Lymphocytes Are Sufficient To Transfer Protection againstBrugia pahangiInfection in Mice

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Abstract
Lymphatic filariasis is a tropical disease caused by the nematode parasitesWuchereria bancroftiandBrugia malayi. Whereas the protective potential of T lymphocytes in filarial infection is well documented, investigation of the role of B lymphocytes in antifilarial immunity has been neglected. In this communication, we examine the role of B lymphocytes in antifilarial immunity, usingBrugia pahangiinfections in the murine peritoneal cavity as a model. We find that B lymphocytes are required for clearance of primary and challenge infections withB. pahangithird-stage larvae (L3). We assessed the protective potential of peritoneal B lymphocytes by adoptive transfer experiments. Primed but not naïve peritoneal B cells from wild-type mice that had been immunized withB. pahangiL3 protected athymic recipients from challenge infection. We evaluated possible mechanisms by which B cells mediate protection. Comparisons of cytokine mRNA expression between B-lymphocyte-deficient and immunocompetent mice followingB. pahangiinfection suggest that B cells are required for the early production of Th2-type cytokines by peritoneal cells. In addition, B-cell-deficient mice demonstrate a defect in inflammatory cell recruitment to the peritoneal cavity followingB. pahangiinfection. The data demonstrate a critical role of B lymphocytes in antifilarial immunity in naïve mice and in the memory response in primed mice.