The role of the thymus in the eosinophil response of rats infected with Fasciola hepatica.
The blood eosinophil response of normal and congenitally athymic nude rats was studied following infection with the parasitic trematode Fasciola hepatica. A marked eosinophilia was evident irrespective of the presence or absence of a thymus in the infected rats, suggesting that thymus-dependent mechanisms are not essential for the induction of eosinophilia in the rat.
D000818:Animals; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004804:Eosinophils; D005210:Fasciola hepatica; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000503:physiopathology*