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Infect Immun. 1975 June; 11(6): 1306-1311
Copyright © 1975 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunological Sequelae of Trichinella spiralis Infection in Mice: Effect on the Antibody Responses to Sheep Erythrocytes and Japanese B Encephalitis Virus

^a Department of Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261

ABSTRACT

Immunosuppression of the antibody response to Japanese B encephalitis (JBE) virus and sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) was observed in mice infected with Trichinella spiralis. This suppression was paralleled by the presence of fewer antibody-forming cells to SRBC in the spleens of parasitized mice. Both primary and secondary complement-fixing antibody responses to JBE virus were suppressed, but the development of immunological memory was not affected. Parasitized mice demonstrated a normal blastogenic response to phytohemagglutinin and normal serum clearance rate of injected ¹²⁵I-labeled immunoglobulin G_2b, although the size of the extravascular fluid compartment was significantly increased. The data presented here and in previous reports suggest that sequential antigenic competition is a possible explanation for the humoral immunosuppression to heterologous antigens caused by T. spiralis infection.

¹ Present address: Meloy Laboratories, Inc., Springfield, Va. 22151.