Evaluation of cytokine production and phagocytic activity in mice infected with Campylobacter jejuni.

The effect of several Campylobacter jejuni strains on the immune response was analyzed in mice after intraperitoneal inoculation with 10(10) colony forming units (CFU). Three C. jejuni strains were assayed: CCUG 6968 (enterotoxigenic), CCUG 7580 (enterotoxigenic), and CCUG 7440 (non-enterotoxigenic). These C. jejuni strains induced a peritoneal inflammatory response and an important increase in the peritoneal phagocyte oxidative activity measured by chemiluminescence assay, as well as an increase in the number of peritoneal cells. Both interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) production by peritoneal cells were not modified. However, C. jejuni 7440 caused a statistically significant increase in TNFalpha production. These results have demonstrated that different strains of C. jejuni induce an increase of the inflammatory response without a significant cytokine release. However, these infectious microorganisms may be eliminated efficiently by murine macrophages after phagocytosis.