Macrophage potentiation byTrichinella spiralis

Abstract

Male albino mice, CD1 strain, weighing approximately 25 g, were infected by intragastric intubation with counted (20 and 40) T. spiralis larvae (Canadian porcine strain). Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from T. spiralis-infected and normal mice, and their cytostatic effect against mouse R1 leukemia cells was tested. Macrophages cytostatic to tumor cells in vitro also appear in the peritoneal cavity of T. spiralis-infected mice, and the degree of macrophage activation is related to the life-cycle of the parasite. T. spiralis, and probably other helminths, must be counted among non-specific potentiators of macrophage-mediated immunity.