Research

Our research focuses on the immune response of mammalian hosts infected with metazoan or protozoan parasites. We are particularly interested in determining which immune effector mechanisms are most effective in rejection and elimination of these parasites. Evolutionarily, however, parasites have developed their own adaptive responses to evade or avoid immune rejection mechanisms and can often survive for years or decades in immune hosts. In many cases, it has been shown that concomitant with parasitic infection, the host's immune response becomes down-regulated or is driven in a less effective direction. Our studies on Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mice has shown that the immune response becomes severely suppressed shortly after infection and that this suppression down-regulates responses not only to the parasite but also to other unrelated antigens. Recently, we have shown that the metazoan parasite, Taenia crassiceps, secretes a substance which inhibits the part of the immune response which would be expected to reject a multcellular foreign material. Our studies to further examine potential evasive mechanisms used by T. cruzi and T. crassiceps are continuing and include examining the cellular and molecular basis of their immunosuppressive activities in infected mammalian hosts.

Selected Publications

Rogers-Lowery, CL, RV Dimock, Jr., and RE Kuhn.  2006.  Antibody response of bluegill sunfish during development of acquired resistance against the larvae of the freshwater mussel Utterbackia imbecillus.  Comparative and Developmental Immunology (In Press)

Aldridge, JR, M. Jennett, and RE Kuhn.  2006.  Uptake and secretion of host proteins by Taenia crassiceps metacestodes.  Journal of Parasitology (in press)

Aldridge, JR, M. Jennett, and R. E. Kuhn.  2006.  Balb/cJ male mice do not feminize after infection with larval Taenia crassiceps.  Journal of Parasitology (in press)

Everhart, ME, RE Kuhn, and DA Zelmer.  2004.  Infrapopulation dynamics of a wild strain of Taenia crassiceps (WFU)(Cestoda:Taeniidae) in Balb/c mice.  Journal of Parasitology 90:79-84.

Willms, K, L Robert, JA Jimenez, M Everhart, and R E Kuhn.  2004. Ultrastructure of spermiogenesis and the spermatozoon in Taenia crassiceps strobilae WFU strain (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea, Taeniidae) from golden hamsters. Parasitol Res. 93(4):262-7.

Toenjes, SA and RE Kuhn.  2003. The initial immune response during experimental cysticercosis is a mixed Th1/Th2-type response. Parasitology Research 89: 407-413.