STUDIES ON DIPETALONEMA-VITEAE-(FILARIOIDEA) .1. MICROFILARAEMIA IN HAMSTERS IN RELATION TO WORM BURDEN AND HUMORAL IMMUNE-RESPONSE

Abstract

The course of a primary infection with D. viteae was studied in 1 randomly bred and in 1 inbred strain of hamster. Worm recovery and the duration and intensity of the microfilaremia were analyzed and related to the humoral immune response of the host by using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test on frozen sections of female worms, on eggs and on intact microfilariae. The inbred strain showed a greater susceptibility to the parasite. This was evidenced by high worm recovery and prolonged microfilaremia. The duration of microfilaremia did not depend on the number of recovered female worms. Most of the randomly bred hamsters suppressed microfilaremia by 30 wk post infection whereas some hamsters of the inbred strain were still microfilaremic. Splenectomy prior to infection did not affect the duration of microfilaremia. Antibodies to the cuticle of microfilariae always appeared in the sera after immunity to circulating microfilariae increased.