Biomaterial Database

Th1/Th2 balance in infection. 1999

C Infante-Duarte, and T Kamradt

Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum Berlin, Germany.

Cytokines produced by T helper (Th) cells are of critical importance for the outcome of many infectious diseases. Producing the "right" set of cytokines in response to an infectious agent can be a matter of life or death. The Th1/Th2 dichotomy, although an oversimplification has proven useful in the analysis of immune responses to infections. In some infectious diseases, most notably leishmaniasis or infections with gastrointestinal helminths, one Th subset is indispensable for clearing the infection, whereas the opposite Th subset is detrimental. More frequently, both Th1 and Th2 responses are required at different time points to effectively eradicate an infectious agent. The granuloma responses to either Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Schistosoma mansoni provide illustrative examples and are discussed in this review. There is accumulating evidence for frequent coexpression of Th1 and Th2 cytokines during the in vivo immune response to infections. The mechanisms by which infectious agents modulate Th1/Th2 phenotype development are summarized here. Finally, we review here the current evidence for cytokine imbalances induced by infections as pathogenic or protective factors in autoimmunity and allergy.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007111	Immunity, Cellular	Manifestations of the immune response which are mediated by antigen-sensitized T-lymphocytes via lymphokines or direct cytotoxicity. This takes place in the absence of circulating antibody or where antibody plays a subordinate role.	Cell-Mediated Immunity,Cellular Immune Response,Cell Mediated Immunity,Cell-Mediated Immunities,Cellular Immune Responses,Cellular Immunities,Cellular Immunity,Immune Response, Cellular,Immune Responses, Cellular,Immunities, Cell-Mediated,Immunities, Cellular,Immunity, Cell-Mediated,Response, Cellular Immune
D009169	Mycobacterium tuberculosis	A species of gram-positive, aerobic bacteria that produces TUBERCULOSIS in humans, other primates, CATTLE; DOGS; and some other animals which have contact with humans. Growth tends to be in serpentine, cordlike masses in which the bacilli show a parallel orientation.	Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv
D002450	Cell Communication	Any of several ways in which living cells of an organism communicate with one another, whether by direct contact between cells or by means of chemical signals carried by neurotransmitter substances, hormones, and cyclic AMP.	Cell Interaction,Cell-to-Cell Interaction,Cell Communications,Cell Interactions,Cell to Cell Interaction,Cell-to-Cell Interactions,Communication, Cell,Communications, Cell,Interaction, Cell,Interaction, Cell-to-Cell,Interactions, Cell,Interactions, Cell-to-Cell
D003141	Communicable Diseases	An illness caused by an infectious agent or its toxins that occurs through the direct or indirect transmission of the infectious agent or its products from an infected individual or via an animal, vector or the inanimate environment to a susceptible animal or human host.	Infectious Diseases,Communicable Disease,Disease, Communicable,Disease, Infectious,Diseases, Communicable,Diseases, Infectious,Infectious Disease
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012550	Schistosoma mansoni	A species of trematode blood flukes of the family Schistosomatidae. It is common in the Nile delta. The intermediate host is the planorbid snail. This parasite causes schistosomiasis mansoni and intestinal bilharziasis.	Schistosoma mansonus,mansonus, Schistosoma
D012555	Schistosomiasis mansoni	Schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni. It is endemic in Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the Caribbean and affects mainly the bowel, spleen, and liver.	Schistosomiasis, Intestinal,Schistosoma mansoni Infection,Infection, Schistosoma mansoni,Infections, Schistosoma mansoni,Intestinal Schistosomiases,Intestinal Schistosomiasis,Schistosoma mansoni Infections,Schistosomiases, Intestinal
D014376	Tuberculosis	Any of the infectious diseases of man and other animals caused by species of MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS.	Koch's Disease,Kochs Disease,Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection,Infection, Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Infections, Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Koch Disease,Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections,Tuberculoses
D016176	T-Lymphocyte Subsets	A classification of T-lymphocytes, especially into helper/inducer, suppressor/effector, and cytotoxic subsets, based on structurally or functionally different populations of cells.	T-Cell Subset,T-Cell Subsets,T-Lymphocyte Subset,Subset, T-Cell,Subset, T-Lymphocyte,Subsets, T-Cell,Subsets, T-Lymphocyte,T Cell Subset,T Cell Subsets,T Lymphocyte Subset,T Lymphocyte Subsets