[Course of blood corticosterone in trichinosis in rats; its relation with immunosuppression]

Beyond a certain level of parasite density, trichinellosis of the rat is accompanied by high plasma corticosterone, the intensity of which depends on that of the parasitism. It develops in two phases: a primary phase, starting early on (40 hours after infestation), is characterized by a more or less high degree of plasma corticosterone, varying according to parasite intensity. It stops around the fifteenth day. The second phase develops from approximately the third week onwards, and can last five or six months; it occurs even when the primary phase is not pronounced. The discussion points to parallel between this reaction and the characteristic immunodepression of trichinellosis, with respect to kinetic and physio-pathological parameters. A fundamental role in immunodepression may therefore be attributed to plasma corticosterone.