Abstract
Mice were immunized against hepatopancreas homogenate of Biomphalaria alexandrina, using Al(OH)3 as adjuvant, and challenged by subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of Schistosoma mansoni cercariae, percutaneous invasion of cercariae and intravenous (i.v.) injection of mechanically prepared schistosomula of different ages. Significantly reduced (about 50%) numbers of adult S. mansoni were found 42 days after challenge in immunized animals infected by s.c. injection of cercariae. Protective effects were detectable as early as 4 days after infection when the numbers of schistosomules in the lungs were reduced in immunized animals. However, immunized animals lacked protective immunity against S. mansoni when infected via the percutaneous route with cercariae or by i.v. injection of schistosomules of different ages. Experiments show that immunization of hosts against intermediate host antigens does not protect against S. mansoni infection via the natural route.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benex J, Tribouley J (1974) Mise évidence à la surface de la cercaire de Schistosoma mansoni d'antigène possédant le charactère planorbe. CR Acad Sci D 279:683–685
Capron A, Biguet J, Rose F, Vernes A (1965) Les antigènes de Schistosoma mansoni. II. Etude immunoélectrophorétique comparée de divers stades larvaires et des adultes des deux sexes. Aspects immunologiques des relations hote-parasite de la cercaire et de l'adulte de S. mansoni. Ann Inst Pasteur 109:798–810
Capron A, Dessaint JP, Capron M, Joseph M, Torpier G (1982) Effector mechanisms of immunity to schistosomes and their regulation. Immunol Rev 61:41–66
Colley DG, Wikel SK (1974) Schistosoma mansoni: simplified method for the production of schistosomules. Exp Parasitol 35:44–51
Dissous C, Grzych JM, Capron A (1986) Schistosoma mansoni shares a protective oligosaccharide epitope with freshwater and marine snails. Nature 323:443–445
Duvall RH, DeWitt WB (1967) An improved perfusion technique for recovering adult schistosomes from laboratory animals. Am J Trop Med Hyg 16:483–486
Grzych J-M, Capron M, Bazin H, Capron A (1982) In vitro and in vivo effector functions of rat IgG2a monoclonal anti-S. mansoni antibodies. J Immunol 129:2739–2744
Hundt E, Enders B, Schweinsberg H, Zwisler O (1982) Experimental vaccination against Schistosoma mansoni. Behring Inst Mitt 71:81–89
Lämmler G, Zahner H, Texdorf I (1968) Infektionsversuche mit Darmnematoden, Cestoden und Trematoden bei Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834). Z Parasitenkd 31:166–202
Mangold BL, Knopf PM (1978) The effect of assay condition on the recovery of schistosomula from the lungs of normal and resistent rats infected with Schistosoma mansoni. J Parasitol 64:813–821
Sachs L (1978) Angewandte Statistik. Statistische Methoden und ihre Anwendung. Springer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Smithers SR, Terry RJ (1965) The infection of laboratory hosts with cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni and the recovery of adult worms. Parasitology 55:695
Stein PC, Basch PF (1979) Bge snail cell-line antigens: ineffectiveness as antischistosomal vaccine. J Parasitol 65:862–869
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, FRG
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Diehl, H., Zahner, H., Schweinsberg, H. et al. Intermediate host (Biomphalaria alexandrina) antigens partly protect against subcutaneous infections with cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni but are ineffective in infections by percutaneous invasion. Parasitol Res 73, 538–540 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00535330
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00535330