Tests for antibody- and cell-mediated hypersensitivity to trypanosome antigens in rabbits infected with Trypanosoma congolense.
Rabbits infected with Trypanosoma congolense were tested for immediate and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to parasite antigens. Positive skin-test reactions were exclusively of the Arthus type, as shown by sequential histological analyses which revealed that more than 90% of the infiltrating cells at 24 hr postinjection were polymorphonuclear neutrophils. Skin reactions could be elicited in normal rabbits by intradermal injection of trypanosome antigen-antibody complexes. The absence of cell-mediated hypersensitivity to trypanosome antigens in infected rabbits was demonstrated by skin tests and by migration inhibitory factor and skin reactive factor tests. The role of the immediate-type skin reaction to trypanosome antigens in the pathology of infection and the possibility of its utilization for diagnosis are discussed.
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000941:Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002464:Cell Migration Inhibition; D005260:Female; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012882:Skin Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000276:immunology*; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000941:Antigens