Acquired resistance to the human hookworm Necator americanus in mice

BALB/c mice were exposed to primary or secondary infection with the hamster-adapted strain of Necator americanus, and the course of infection was monitored through worm recovery and immunological assays. Significantly fewer viable larvae were recovered from the skin site of reinfected mice on day 2 post-infection, and fewer larvae resided in the lungs of challenged mice 3-5 days after infection, suggesting that the skin was involved in resistance to secondary infection. The serum antibody response to L3 antigen was enhanced during secondary infection, peaking on day 9, and the bronchoalveolar leucocyte (BAL) response was more intense at this stage. Thus the secondary BAL response was initiated more promptly than the primary response, peaking on day 13 at twice the intensity of the primary response and five times above the resting level. Differential counts revealed that by far the most significant changes in cell populations were those observed for eosinophils in lavage fluid. At the peak of the response a 925-fold increase over control levels was detected in mice undergoing a challenge infection. Some cellular and serological components of the secondary response were defined in the present work and it was concluded that reinfected mice have the capacity to trap parasites during their passage through the skin and development in the lungs.