Infection of mice with Hymenolepis diminuta, which is an ‘exclusively’ intestinal cestode, affects the number of eosinophils and noneosinophilic cells with IgE or IgA on their surface in the lamina propria. Presence of IgE on eosinophils is basically a primary infection response, while after reinfection the response is primarily characterized by IgA. For IgE- as well as for IgA-bearing eosinophils the response is most abundant in the second quarter of the intestine which is the parasite’s preferred habitat. For non-eosinophilic cells the effect is smaller and limited to the IgE-bearing cells, with the most significant effect in the second quarter of the intestine.

Hymenolepis murissylvatici elicits a humoral response in serum and in the intestine of the mouse from which it is immunologically rejected. In serum, significant differences were recorded 3 days after reinfection, while in intestinal lavages it takes place from day 9 after reinfection. In serum the response is largely the result of IgG and IgM antibodies whereas in the intestine, IgA is the most abundant antibody. Although specific IgE could not be demonstrated in serum, it was present in intestinal lavages, although rather late (i.e. day 14 after reinfection). Treatment of young worms in vitro both with immune serum or intestinal lavages had no apparent effect on their viability. Immune serum produced a complement independent precipitation on the surface of the worms in vitro. This reaction did not affect viability or infectivity of the parasite, as demonstrated by the successful implantation of treated worms in recipient mice. The above-mentioned results, together with the knowledge that the Hymenolepis model has no tissue stages and causes no tissue damage, make it probable that further study of this model will reveal some specific intestinal immunological reactions.

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