ACANTHOCHEILONEMA-VITEAE - VACCINATION WITH IRRADIATED L3 INDUCES RESISTANCE IN 3 SPECIES OF RODENTS (MERIONES-UNGUICULATUS, MASTOMYS COUCHA, MESOCRICETUS-AURATUS)

Three species of rodents were immunized with 50 irradiated (35 krad) s tage-3 larvae (L(3)) of the filaria Acanthocheilonema viteae and chall enged with an infection of normal L(3). The immunization induced a sig nificant reduction of the worm burden developing from the challenge in fection in all host species, the jird (Meriones unguiculatus), the mul timammate rat (Mastomys coucha) and the golden hamster (Mesocricetus a uratus). The induced resistance was highest in jirds (92.5 +/- 9.7) fo llowed by golden hamsters (59.4 +/- 26.6) and multimammate rats (55.1 +/- 40.4) The time course of antibody response against antigens Bf L(3 ), adult worms and microfilariae, as studied by ELISA, showed quantita tive and qualitative differences between the species. The antibody res ponse against L(3) antigens in immunoblots was similar in all species. Only one of the golden hamsters developed an antibody response agains t the surface of vector derived L(3), while sera of jirds and multimam mate rats did not react with L(3) surface.