Afdeling Molekulêre Biologie & Mensgenetika
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?Rese?arch: Immunology
Murine Studies
Experimental animals allow investigation into the immunological mechanisms in disease that would otherwise be impossible to perform in human studies. In this regard, the laboratory mouse serve as an ideal model to investigate immunological features of mycobacterial infections seeing as they display a similar cellular immune response as observed in humans. The infectious animal laboratory (Bio-safety level-2) is dedicated to creating and maintaining mice for research purposes in a completely germ-free environment. Mice are housed individually in cages to provide researchers with an environment in which allow experimental infections with no competing background levels of pathogenic colonization. Ethical approval for the use of animals, performance of experimental infections and procedures are evaluated and approved by The Animal Ethics Committee of the 肆客足球 of Stellenbosch (AEC).
We aim to understand how host-pathogen interactions translate into clinical disease. The Immunology Group uniquely combines expertise in the field of pathogen biology and host immunity to utilize small animal models in order to:
· Investigate molecular pathogenesis of infection biology
· Uncover immunological pathways of communication between pathogen and host
· Analyse host immune responses in diseases
Current animal models include:
· Mycobacterium bovis-helminth mouse co-infection model
M. tb and helminth co-infection is particularly prevalent in the densely populated informal settlements of South Africa, and it is postulated that the high tuberculosis (TB) rates in these communities might be due to inappropriate immune responses against mycobacteria as a result of concurrent helminth infection. The M. bovis BCG murine infection model is routinely used for studying anti-mycobacterial responses during latency as the associated immune response is similar to that induced during human M. tb infection. Our research using this model is focused towards the identification of protective/detrimental immune mechanisms present during co-infection, focusing on the involvement of both mycobacterial and helminth-specific innate and adaptive immune cell populations. We predict that this approach will uncover important new immune cell populations and their contributions to helminth-mycobacterium co-infection. Such data is likely to have important implications in future treatment programs against M. tb.
· Medroxyprogesterone Acetate-Mycobacterium tuberculosis mouse model
The injectable contraceptive Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is the most widely used contraceptive in South Africa and other developing countries, where TB is rife. Despite being a synthetic progestin, MPA possesses selective glucocorticoid activity and mimics the effects of the stress hormone, cortisol, which is the major glucocorticoid in humans. Administration of glucocorticoids has been shown to cause reactivation of latent TB. Our research group therefore established a MPA-M. tb mouse model and investigates the immune modulatory effect of MPA in the context of TB. Ultimately we would like to determine whether MPA use alters susceptibility to M. tb and TB disease severity. These finding could have major implication for the contraceptive policies not only of South Africa, but worldwide.?
