Immunological consequences of intestinal helminth infections. Cellular and anamnestic responses to ovalbumin

Depressed IgG responses to ovalbumin administered with the inflammatory adjuvant, Al(OH)3, have previously been demonstrated in mice immunized 5 to 13 days after infection with Nematospiroides dubius, when the parasite is encysted in the intestinal mucosa or becoming established in the lumen. This report extends these findings to show that primary IgE and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses, the generation of antigen-primed cells detectable in syngeneic irradiated recipients or in vitro and the recall of immunological memory are correspondingly impaired. Co-transfer experiments using irradiated recipients demonstrated weak suppressor activity in spleen cells from infected mice which was not attributable to T cells. The results suggest that N. dubius administered before immunization can impair the development of many classes of antigen-primed lymphocytes. The implications of this finding with respect to parasite survival are discussed.