The role of cell-mediated immunity in Taenia taeniaeformis infections

A functional cell mediated immunity (CMI) response was recorded in rats experimentally infected with Taenia taeniaeformis larvae. The presence of CMI was manifested in the delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction recorded between 12 hours and 24 hours on elicitation with antigen. The time course of the immediate type hypersensitivity (ITH) over 10 weeks showed 2 peaks around the 2nd and the 6th weeks of infection, whereas the DTH response was generally weaker and more uniform over the same time course. Transfer of peritoneal cells from infected rats conferred partial protection to normal recipient rats against a challenge infection. However, optimal protection was only about 50% with transfer of 0.625 X 10(7) cells/rat, and no increase in protection was possible even with transfer of higher cell concentrations.