CD4⁺ TCRαβ T cells are critically involved in the control of experimental murine cysticercosis in C57BL/6J mice

Taenia crassiceps cysticerci develop in the peritoneal cavity of BALB/cAnN mice and, to a lesser extent, in C57BL/6J mice. The mechanisms involved in the immunity to this murine cysticercosis seem to be mainly mediated by T cells. To gain further insight into the mechanisms of cysticercal immunity, the susceptibility of mice deficient in different immunologically relevant genes was compared with that of the respective wild type. Mice were classified according to the parasite load and survival after infection: highly susceptible (HS), with an increased parasite load and mortality rate (CD4^-/-, TCRα^-/-, TCRβ^-/-, RAG1^-/-), susceptible, with only increased parasite load (TCRδ^-/-, BALB/cAnN), and relatively resistant, with a lower number of parasites (CD8^-/-, WT). Neither specific proliferative response nor Th2 cytokine or antibody responses were observed in HS mice. These data strongly suggest that CD4⁺ TCRαβ⁺ T cells have a critical role in the control of T. crassiceps murine cysticercosis.