Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area

Compounds in sand fly saliva elicit specific immune responses that may play a role in the establishment of canine <i>Leishmania</i> infection. Although canine antibodies to anti-sand fly saliva antigens have been extensively studied, little is known about cellular immune responses agains...

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Main Authors: Núria Balsells-Aguilar, Maria Magdalena Alcover, Marta Baxarias, Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández, Lourdes Alarcón, Petra Sumova, Petr Volf, Laia Solano-Gallego
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Pathogens
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/6/576
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author Núria Balsells-Aguilar
Maria Magdalena Alcover
Marta Baxarias
Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández
Lourdes Alarcón
Petra Sumova
Petr Volf
Laia Solano-Gallego
author_facet Núria Balsells-Aguilar
Maria Magdalena Alcover
Marta Baxarias
Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández
Lourdes Alarcón
Petra Sumova
Petr Volf
Laia Solano-Gallego
author_sort Núria Balsells-Aguilar
collection DOAJ
description Compounds in sand fly saliva elicit specific immune responses that may play a role in the establishment of canine <i>Leishmania</i> infection. Although canine antibodies to anti-sand fly saliva antigens have been extensively studied, little is known about cellular immune responses against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> salivary proteins. This study aimed to explore humoral and T-cell-mediated immunity against <i>P. perniciosus</i> salivary proteins in dogs (n = 85) from Mallorca (Spain), a leishmaniosis-endemic area, and find correlations with demographic (age, sex, and breed) and parasite-specific immunological parameters. Anti-sand fly saliva IgG was examined using a <i>P. perniciosus</i> whole salivary gland homogenate (SGH) ELISA and recombinant salivary protein rSP03B ELISA. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release whole blood assays with <i>L. infantum</i> soluble antigen (LSA), SGH, and rSP03B were also performed. Positive correlations were found between IgG levels in the SGH and rSP03B tests and between concentrations of SGH IFN-γ and rSP03B IFN-γ. While concentrations of SGH IFN-γ and rSP03B IFN-γ were low and produced only by a minority of dogs (less than 20%), high levels and frequencies of LSA IFN-γ as well as anti-saliva IgG for SGH and rSP03B were detected in a majority of dogs (61% and 75%, respectively). LSA IFN-γ levels were positively correlated with age and <i>Leishmania</i>-specific antibodies. In conclusion, dogs from a leishmaniosis-endemic area presented high humoral immunity against <i>P. perniciosus</i> salivary proteins, but their cellular immunity to these proteins was low and less frequent.
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spelling doaj-art-b53a586e05ee4e8599c62d7875a06b812025-08-20T03:16:21ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-06-0114657610.3390/pathogens14060576Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic AreaNúria Balsells-Aguilar0Maria Magdalena Alcover1Marta Baxarias2Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández3Lourdes Alarcón4Petra Sumova5Petr Volf6Laia Solano-Gallego7Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainSecció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Salut i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, SpainDepartament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainDepartament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainDepartament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 12800 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 12800 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainCompounds in sand fly saliva elicit specific immune responses that may play a role in the establishment of canine <i>Leishmania</i> infection. Although canine antibodies to anti-sand fly saliva antigens have been extensively studied, little is known about cellular immune responses against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> salivary proteins. This study aimed to explore humoral and T-cell-mediated immunity against <i>P. perniciosus</i> salivary proteins in dogs (n = 85) from Mallorca (Spain), a leishmaniosis-endemic area, and find correlations with demographic (age, sex, and breed) and parasite-specific immunological parameters. Anti-sand fly saliva IgG was examined using a <i>P. perniciosus</i> whole salivary gland homogenate (SGH) ELISA and recombinant salivary protein rSP03B ELISA. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release whole blood assays with <i>L. infantum</i> soluble antigen (LSA), SGH, and rSP03B were also performed. Positive correlations were found between IgG levels in the SGH and rSP03B tests and between concentrations of SGH IFN-γ and rSP03B IFN-γ. While concentrations of SGH IFN-γ and rSP03B IFN-γ were low and produced only by a minority of dogs (less than 20%), high levels and frequencies of LSA IFN-γ as well as anti-saliva IgG for SGH and rSP03B were detected in a majority of dogs (61% and 75%, respectively). LSA IFN-γ levels were positively correlated with age and <i>Leishmania</i>-specific antibodies. In conclusion, dogs from a leishmaniosis-endemic area presented high humoral immunity against <i>P. perniciosus</i> salivary proteins, but their cellular immunity to these proteins was low and less frequent.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/6/576anti-saliva antibodiescanine<i>Leishmania infantum</i>recombinant salivary proteinsspecific <i>P. perniciosus</i> saliva IFN-γ
spellingShingle Núria Balsells-Aguilar
Maria Magdalena Alcover
Marta Baxarias
Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández
Lourdes Alarcón
Petra Sumova
Petr Volf
Laia Solano-Gallego
Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area
Pathogens
anti-saliva antibodies
canine
<i>Leishmania infantum</i>
recombinant salivary proteins
specific <i>P. perniciosus</i> saliva IFN-γ
title Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area
title_full Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area
title_fullStr Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area
title_full_unstemmed Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area
title_short Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against <i>Phlebotomus perniciosus</i> Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area
title_sort humoral and t cell mediated immunity against i phlebotomus perniciosus i salivary proteins in dogs from a leishmaniosis endemic area
topic anti-saliva antibodies
canine
<i>Leishmania infantum</i>
recombinant salivary proteins
specific <i>P. perniciosus</i> saliva IFN-γ
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/6/576
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