Investigation of possible cytokine induction in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by heat-stable serotypes of Campylobacter jejuni

Abstract

Several Campylobacter jejuni heat-stable (HS) serotypes have been associated with the autoimmune Guillain-Barré neurological syndrome (GBS). In order to examine the possible involvement of cytokines in this phenomenon, the levels of three pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-2sRa, IL-6 and interferon (IFN)-γ) and one anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after induction by different C. jejuni serotypes. No differences were found for IL-6, IFN-γ and IL-10, but the non-sialylated serotype HS:3 was associated with decreased production of IL-2sRa. The results raise the possibility that absence of sialylation might be associated with the inability to induce inflammatory factors such as cytokines. © 2004 Copyright by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.