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Nutrition, immunity and helminth infection: effect of dietary protein on the dynamics of the primary antibody response to Trichuris muris (Nematoda) in CBA/Ca mice
Author(s) -
MICHAEL E.,
BUNDY D. A. P.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1992.tb00459.x
Subject(s) - biology , antibody , antigen , immunology , immunity , immune system , immunoglobulin a , helminths , helminthiasis , trichuris , humoral immunity , immunoglobulin g
Summary The effect of dietary protein on the specific antibody responses (total immunoglobulins, IgGI and IgA) to the intestinal nematode Trichuris muris was studied in CBA/Ca mice fed isocaloric diets containing 16% or 4% protein. Mice fed the 16% diet and given a high infection dose of 650 eggs expelled almost their entire primary infection by day 21 post infection. In similarly infected animals fed the 4% protein diet, there was prolonged survival of adult worms. At a low infection dose of 10 eggs, there was no evidence of an expulsion response in either dietary group. The primary antibody response to parasite excretory/secretory (E S) antigen was time‐dependent, regardless of dietary protein or infection dose, and was predominantly an IgGI response. Within each dietary group, antibody production and antigen recognition occurred earlier and the antibody responses were more intense in mice given the higher infection dose. The principal finding was that the specific antibody response was more vigorous, both quantitatively (serum titres) and qualitatively (antigen recognition by IgGI), in mice on a low protein diet, even though worm expulsion did not occur in these hosts. This result suggests that serum antibody level or antigen recognition is not related simply to protective immunity against T. muris in CBA/Ca mice.