title: Immune responses to oral infection with Echinococcus multilocularis protoscoleces in gerbils: modified lymphocyte responses due to the parasite antigen.
abstract: Immune responses to oral infection with Echinococcus multilocularis protoscoleces in Mongolian gerbils were investigated. Gerbils not treated with prednisolone expelled most of the parasites within 3 days post-infection and induced parasite-specific intestinal IgA secretion after the oral inoculation with protoscoleces. In contrast, prednisolone-treated gerbils harbored notable numbers of parasites, and the parasite-specific intestinal IgA secretion was lower. In gerbils not treated and orally inoculated with protoscoleces (infected group), parasite-specific antibody levels in sera and intestinal washings were elevated, but blastogenesis against protoscolex antigens was observed only in cells from Peyer's patches at 14 days post-infection. Concanavalin A-induced proliferative lymphocytes from both infected and naive gerbils were suppressed by adding protoscolex somatic antigen. These data indicate that while parasite-specific antibody responses were observed, lymphocyte proliferative responses were suppressed by parasite infection/antigens in the Mongolian gerbil, prednisolone-untreated rodent definitive host model.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, 060-0818 Sapporo, Japan. nkato@dokkyomed.ac.jp
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Nariaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Yuzaburo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oku
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamiya
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005849:Gerbillinae; D007114:Immunization; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D007070:Immunoglobulin A