[Variations in the immune response in several schistosome-rat infections]

The evolution of immunological reactions in two Rat strains, namely Rattus rattus from Guadeloupe and Rattus norvegicus var. albinos, was studied. Both have beem experimentally infested by three different strains of Schistosoma mansoni. We observed that Rattus rattus infested by the American strains reacts poorly and shows a persistant infection contrary to the results obtained with other infestations. So it appears that a special pathogenic complex might be present in Guadeloupe which could explain the role played by this rodent in the bilharziosis endemy.