Specific Antibody Levels in the Intestinal Perfusates of Heligosomoides polygyrus-lnfected Mice

Abstract

Radial immunodiffusion analysis was performed on intestinal perfusates from ICR/CD₁ mice following oral infection and challenge with viable Heligosomoides polygyrus larvae. Infection of these mice resulted in an alteration in the amount and class of immunoglobulins, as well as anti-parasitic antibody. Specific IgA peaked at 3 days post-infection and then showed a gradual decline until day 21. This rapid elevation in IgA levels was temporally associated with early events in the parasite life cycle, and the increase in IgA was significantly higher in mice infected twice with H. polygyrus prior to challenge. Differences in both the concentrations and kinetics of specific IgA and IgG₁ were also observed in the perfusates from these mice when compared to those noted for animals infected only once.