Role of murine Peyer's patch lymphocytes against primary and challenge infections with Cryptosporidium parvum

In order to determine the role of Peyer's patch lymphocytes (PPL) in self-clearing of Cryptosporidium parvum infection in murine models, changes in PPL subsets, their cytokine expression, and in vitro IgG1 and IgA secretions by PPL were observed in primary- and challenge-infected C57BL/6 mice. In primary-infected mice, the percentages of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, slgA+ B cells, IL-2+ T cells, and $IFN-{\gamma}+$ T cells among the PPL, increased significantly (P < 0.05) on day 10 post-infection (PI). Secretion of IgG1 and IgA in vitro by PPL also increased on day 10 PI. However, all these responses, with the exception of IgG1 and IgA secretions, decreased in challenge-infected mice on day 7 post-challenge (= day 13 PI); their IgG1 and IgA levels were higher (P > 0.05) than those in primary-infected mice. The results suggest that murine PPL play an important role in self-clearing of primary C. parvum infections through proliferation of CD4+, CD8+, IL-2+, and $IFN-{\gamma}+$ T cells, and IgG1 and IgA-secreting 8 cells. In challenge infections, the role of T cells is reduced whereas that of 8 cells secreting IgA appeared to be continuously important.