Effects of macrophage colony-stimulating factor on reduction of viable bacteria and survival of mice during Listeria monocytogenes infection: characteristics of monocyte subpopulations

Abstract

Mice could well tolerate infection with a lethal dose of Listeria monocytogenes after intraperitoneal preinjections with 250 ,Ig of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) per kg of body weight for 5 days. The characteristic changes in the surface markers (Mac-1, LFA-1, and F4/80) of peripheral monocytes were also investigated in order to analyze the mechanism of protection by M-CSF. This investigation shows the excellent effect of intraperitoneal preinjections of M-CSF on the reduction of viable Listeria organisms and the improvement of survival after an intravenous Listeria infection.

Colony-stimulating factor 1 in the human response to neonatal listeriosis

“…Previous reports that CSF-1 is the primary regulator of mononuclear phagocyte production in vivo (18) and that levels of this factor both in the circulation and in tissue rise rapidly following the onset of listerial infection in animal models (6) have implicated this growth factor in the immune response to this organism. Furthermore, while treatment of Listeria-infected mice with anti-CSF-1 antibodies exacerbated their clinical course (7), pretreatment with exogenous CSF-1 resulted in decreased numbers of organisms in the liver and enhanced survival (10).…”