title: Giardia lamblia infections in B-cell-deficient transgenic mice.
abstract: In the present study, we infected B-cell (and antibody-)-deficient transgenic mice with the Giardia lamblia clone GS/M-83-H7. These animals were inhibited in intestinal anti-Giardia immunoglobulin A (IgA) production and could not resolve the parasite infection, and antigenic diversification within the respective parasite populations occurred in an unusually slow manner. These findings indicate an important immunological function of local IgA antibodies which promotes antigenic variation of the parasite and is involved in control of the parasite infection.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stager
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000276:immunology*; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000276:immunology*; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000276:immunology; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000276:immunology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D007070:Immunoglobulin A