# Eosinophils facilitate bacterial clearance by mediating antibacterial T cell responses in the respiratory tract

> **NIH NIH P20** · LOUISIANA STATE UNIV HSC SHREVEPORT · 2022 · $253,495

## Abstract

PROJECT 3: PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Respiratory diseases are among the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite that vaccines
are available, the CDC recognizes Whooping cough as a reemerging infectious disease that kills hundreds of
thousands of babies and children each year, both in developed and underdeveloped countries. Unfortunately,
the failure to control Whooping cough is not an isolated phenomenon, as a similar lack of protection is seen with
other respiratory pathogens, such as pneumococcus. Common to most vaccines strategies against respiratory
bacterial diseases is a focus on the generation of antibody responses, which overlooks roles for T cells and
mucosal immunity in producing durable protective responses. Eosinophils are a type of immune cell that is known
to play pivotal roles in protection against infection by parasitic helminths (worms), indicating a function in the
overall immune response to pathogens. Recent studies reveal that eosinophils play important roles in adaptive
cellular immune responses by coordinating T and B cell responses in the gastric mucosa, and in maintenance
of mucosal homeostasis. This project will make use of Bordetella bronchiseptica infection of mice, a tractable
small animal model for Whooping cough, to investigate the role of eosinophils as drivers of the T cell responses
in respiratory bacterial infections. Our preliminary data indicate that eosinophils are required for clearance of
Bordetella bronchiseptica from the mouse respiratory tract. Moreover, mice lacking eosinophils present with a
persistent infection, fail to secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, and are unable to generate effective antibody
responses, suggesting that eosinophils promote adaptive immunity. Completion of the proposed studies will
improve our understanding of eosinophil biology and the mechanisms eosinophils use to drive T cell responses.
We anticipate that the knowledge gained from our work will identify novel targets for the development of improved
vaccines against Whooping cough and possibly other diseases caused by respiratory pathogens.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10360464
- **Project number:** 5P20GM134974-02
- **Recipient organization:** LOUISIANA STATE UNIV HSC SHREVEPORT
- **Principal Investigator:** Monica Cartelle Gestal
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $253,495
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-03-01 → 2026-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10360464

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10360464, Eosinophils facilitate bacterial clearance by mediating antibacterial T cell responses in the respiratory tract (5P20GM134974-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10360464. Licensed CC0.

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