title: Modification of immune competence by parasitic infections. I. Responses to mitogens and antigens in mice treated with Trichinella spiralis extract.
abstract: Spleen cells from mice pretreated with a Trichinella spiralis extract (TsE-mice) showed severe depression of the response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and to concanavalin A (Con A), slight depression to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and normal response to tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) as compared to saline-pretreated controls. Mice pretreated with bovine serum albumin (BSA-mice) revealed greatly reduced responses to LPS, somewhat reduced response to Con A, and normal responses to PHA and to PPD. Only TsE-mice showed significant reduction in the number of rosette-forming cells and of direct and indirect plaque-forming cells (DPFC and IPFC). BSA-mice exhibited some reduction of the DPFC only. Direct hemagglutinating (HA) titers were equivalent in the 3 groups after immunization with sheep erythrocytes but facilitated HA titers were depressed in TsE-mice. The total number and the number of viable cells were similar in the spleens of all animals. TsE treatment causes a reduction in the number of T1 lymphocytes and an inhibition of the late differentiation of B cells in the spleen. Suppressor T-cells apparently play a major but not exclusive role in T. spiralis-induced nonspecific immunodepression.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014234:Trichinella / Q000276:immunology*; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D008934:Mitogens; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial