Document 0337
 DOCN  M9650337
 TI    Alcohol ingestion impairs host defenses predisposing otherwise healthy
       mice to Pneumocystis carinii infection.
 DT    9605
 AU    D'Souza NB; Mandujano JF; Nelson S; Summer WR; Shellito JE; Section of
       Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Louisiana State; University
       Medical Center, New Orleans 70112, USA.
 SO    Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1995 Oct;19(5):1219-25. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/96119379
 AB    Pulmonary infection with Pneumocystis carinii, an opportunistic
       pathogen, is associated with a variety of immunosuppressive states,
       including human immunodeficiency virus infection. We hypothesized that
       alcohol ingestion might compromise host defenses against this pathogen
       and, in an immunocompromised host, increase the severity of infection.
       This hypothesis was tested in both acute and chronic ethanol-treated
       normal and CD4+ T-cell-depleted mice challenged with P. carinii
       organisms. Normal and CD4+ T-cell-depleted mice were given an
       intraperitoneal injection of ethanol or saline 0.5 hr before P. carinii
       challenge and killed 3 hr later for bronchoalveolar lavage. Acute
       alcohol treatment decreased significantly tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
       activity and the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs)
       recovered in the lavage in response to the pathogen. Depletion of CD4+
       T-cells did not potentiate the effect of alcohol on the early
       inflammatory response to the pathogen any further. In normal animals, in
       vivo interferon (IFN)-gamma pretreatment augmented significantly the P.
       carinii-stimulated lung TNF response and PMNL recruitment. However,
       IFN-gamma pretreatment prevented the alcohol-induced suppression of TNF
       secretion without affecting the PMNL recruitment. The effect of chronic
       alcohol consumption on the severity of infection was studied in
       long-term, alcohol-fed normal and CD(4+)-depleted mice challenged with
       P. carinii organisms. Lung histopathology showed that P. carinii
       infection was present in > 60% of the alcohol-fed mice and in none of
       the controls. Also, a significantly higher number of PMNLs were
       recovered in the lavage fluid of alcohol-fed mice with persistent
       infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Alcohol Drinking/*ADVERSE EFFECTS/IMMUNOLOGY  Alcoholism/*IMMUNOLOGY
       Animal  Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/CYTOLOGY  Cytokines/BLOOD  CD4
       Lymphocyte Count  Immune Tolerance/IMMUNOLOGY  Interferon Type II/BLOOD
       Macrophages, Alveolar/IMMUNOLOGY  Male  Mice  Mice, Inbred BALB C
       Opportunistic Infections/*IMMUNOLOGY  Pneumonia, Pneumocystis
       carinii/*IMMUNOLOGY  Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  Tumor Necrosis
       Factor/METABOLISM  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
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