title: Setaria digitata infections in cattle: parasite load, microfilaraemia status and relationship to immune response.
abstract: A total of 110 cattle were examined in an area endemic for Bancroftian filariasis for the prevalence of infection of the bovine filarial parasite Setaria digitata. About 12.5% of cattle were found to harbour both adult worms in the peritoneum and microfilariae (mf) in circulation; 70% of the cattle were amicrofilaraemic but with an adult worm infection. A third group of cattle (16.5%) was free of detectable mf and adult worms. The presence of adult worms and/or mf did not influence the antibody levels to any of the four antigen preparations of S. digitata. However, there was a significant inverse relationship between the presence of antibodies to microfilarial sheaths and the absence of circulating mf as shown by the immunoperoxidase assay. Cattle immunoglobulin containing high titres of anti-sheath antibodies cleared circulating microfilariae very effectively in Mastomys coucha thus demonstrating the protective nature of anti-sheath antibodies in eliminating circulating microfilariae in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology, Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR), Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 016, Orissa, India.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mohanty
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Sahoo
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Satapathy
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ravindran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008842:Microfilariae / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000469:parasitology; D017182:Setaria Nematode / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012719:Setariasis / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth