Acquired resistance to Hypoderma lineatum: comparative immune response of resistant and susceptible cattle

The humoral and cellular immune responses of previously infested and noninfested cattle were compared after a single experimental exposure to 1st-instar Hypoderma lineatum. No correlation was found between the development of humoral antibodies as measured by passive hemagglutination assay and resistance in cattle. However, the most resistant cattle had higher macrophage migration-inhibition activity before and 1 month after infestation than did low- or non-resistant animals, and resistant animals also had greater sensitivity to antigens from larvae as they penetrated the skin. These results suggest that acquired resistance to hypodermatosis involves a cellular component of the immune mechanism.