The present study was carried out to investigate the immune response against Strongyloides venezuelensis infection in Balb/c mice previously immunized with larva-antigens or primed with live-larvae. Our results indicate that all primed mice developed a strong protection against challenge infection that remained active for 45 days. In mice primed with live-larvae the challenge infection resulted in great reduction of migrating larvae and the worms were completely eliminated from the small intestine before maturation. The protection pattern did not alter when the primary infection was aborted by drug treatment. In these experimental groups, the challenge infection was accompanied by a type-2 predominant immune response, intense IgE and reactive IgG1 production, and granulocyte infiltration in skin, lungs and intestine. The challenge infection in antigen-immunized mice also resulted in great reduction of migrating larvae. However, the worms that reached the host intestine matured, produced eggs and were eliminated similarly to the ones from nonimmunized mice. Protective mechanisms after immunization with larva antigen were migrating larva-specific and associated with a strong and mixed Th1 and Th2 response, without tissue granulocyte infiltration. In conclusion, protective immunity induced by a previous infection or antigen-immunization are stage-specific and operate through different effector mechanisms.

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Nematode infections are generally followed by high rates of reinfection, leading to elevated prevalence in endemic areas. Therefore, the effective control of nematode infections depends on understanding the induction and regulation of protective mechanisms. However, most experimental models for protective immune response against nematodes use high parasite exposure, not always reflecting what occurs naturally in human populations. In this study, we tested whether infecting mice with different Strongyloides venezuelensis larvae loads would affect protective responses against reinfection. Interestingly, we found that a previous infection with 10-500 larvae conferred high rate of protection against reinfection with S. venezuelensis in mice, by destroying large numbers of migrating larvae. However, low-dose priming did not abolish adult worm maturation, as detected in high-dose primed group. Results also indicated that a previous low-dose infection delayed the development of cellular infiltrate, while a high inoculum rapidly induced these inflammatory features. Cytokine production by splenocyte cultures of challenge infected mice demonstrated that low-dose priming had increased production of IL-4 and IFN-gamma, while high-dose induced IL-4 production but not IFN-gamma. Our data support the hypothesis that low-dose nematode infection does not induce a polarized type-2 immune response, allowing adult worm survival.

IL-13 is a cytokine known to play a role in several pulmonary diseases, including asthma and fibrosis. The role of IL-13 in the context of pulmonary changes induced by helminth infection is unclear. Rats experimentally infected with Strongyloides venezuelensis and treated with anti-IL-13 neutralizing antibody were used to evaluate the role of IL-13 on functional and inflammatory changes of host lungs, and on parasite control. S. venezuelensis-induced airway hyperreactivity was IL-13-independent, but IL-13 played an essential role in driving airway mucus production and eosinophil infiltration. IL-13 was important for the control of egg production but not establishment in the intestine.