title: Eosinophilia, granuloma formation and migratory behaviour of larvae in the congenitally athymic mouse infected with Toxocara canis.
abstract: Peripheral blood eosinophilia, histology of skeletal muscle and brain, and larval recovery were compared between congenitally athymic nude mice (nu/nu) and thymus-bearing heterozygous littermates (nu/+) for 6 weeks following oral infection with Toxocara canis eggs. By comparing patterns of peripheral blood eosinophil levels in nu/+ and nu/nu, two types of eosinophilias, one T cell dependent and the other independent, were observed. Eosinophil infiltration and granuloma formation around larvae in the skeletal muscle were weaker in degree in nu/nu than nu/+. The total number of larvae in nu/+ decreased from 2 to 6 weeks after infection. This decrease was directly related to a decrease in larval number in skeletal muscle, not in brain or other tissues. In contrast, no significant decrease of the total number of larvae was observed in nu/nu. The results indicate that eosinophilia, granuloma formation and larval recovery are closely related to cell-mediated immune mechanisms in T. canis-infected mice.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000276:immunology*; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology; D002464:Cell Migration Inhibition; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000276:immunology*; D004803:Eosinophilic Granuloma / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009132:Muscles / Q000469:parasitology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014119:Toxocara / Q000502:physiology; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology