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Non-specific immunodepression by Nematospiroides dubius of concurrent responses to oxazolone and lipopolysaccharide
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2009
Abstract
Mice infected with Nematospiroides dubius show non-specific immunodeprcssion (NSID) of immune responses to concurrently administered antigens. This project investigated the factors influencing the response of oxazolone (T-dcpcndcnt antigen) and LPS (T-indcpcndent antigen) in infected mice. Depressed responses to both antigens were observed in mice infected with N. dubius, although the pattern of immunodeprcssion was influenced by both the level and the relative timing of infection and antigen presentation. Consistent NSID was only achieved when the mice were given the higher levels of infection and there was some evidence that NSID was more severe when infection preceded the administration of antigen by 14 days.In general, although NSID was significant, the degree of immunodepression was not considerable. It was concluded that the underlying mechanism of NSID was likely to be different from that enabling the parasite to survive in the intestine of the chronically infected host, and that altered physiology and host's modulation of the immune responses in heavily infected animals may have given rise to a general weakening of the immune system. It was suggested that future work should investigate NSID and parasitespecific immunodeprcssion locally in the intestine where parasite survival is likely to be determined by events at the nnicosal surface.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984
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