Dendritic Cell and Macrophage Activation and Maturation in Response to Mycoplasma

Senne, Jordan. Dendritic Cell and Macrophage Activation and Maturation in Response to Mycoplasma. Master of Science (Microbiology and Immunology), July 2003. 47 pp., 7 illustrations. Murine respiratory mycoplasmosis, caused by Mycoplasma pulmonis, offers a model for studying the immunopathogenic mechanism of mycoplasma respiratory disease. My focus was to determine the effects of M. pulmonis on dendritic cells and macrophages. I demonstrated an increase in dendritic cell numbers and cell surface marker expression within the lungs of infected mice. However, there was no increase in the studied cytokine mRNA levels. In vitro studies determined increases in cytokine proteins and cytokine mRNA levels in dendritic cell and macrophages without a significant increase in cell surface marker expression by either cell line. Thus, a mycoplasma infection is able to stimulate dendritic cells both in vivo and in vitro, while macrophages are stimulated in vitro. Such findings could be helpful towards the development of future mechanisms for therapy against mycoplasma respiratory diseases.