Mucosal mast cell reconstitution and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis rejection by W/Wv mice

The ability of congenitally mast cell-deficient W/Wv anemic mice and mast cell-reconstituted W/Wv mice to reject the intestinal parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis was examined. The W/Wv mice were deficient in connective tissue mast cells and mucosal mast cells and, unlike normal mice, did not accumulate intestinal mucosal mast cells in response to N. brasiliensis infection. They had higher peak egg counts than did normal littermates and were slower than littermates to reject the parasites. Reconstitution with bone marrow or spleen cells repaired both the connective tissue and mucosal mast cell defects in W/Wv mice but did not alter the time of parasite rejection or decrease the high peak egg counts. These results indicate that mucosal mast cells that accumulate in the small intestine in response to parasite infection may not be functionally involved in the rejection mechanism.