LUCILIA-CUPRINA - INHIBITION OF LARVAL GROWTH INDUCED BY IMMUNIZATIONOF HOST SHEEP WITH EXTRACTS OF LARVAL PERITROPHIC MEMBRANE

Lucilia cuprina: Inhibition of larval growth induced by immunization o f host sheep with extracts of larval peritrophic membrane. Internation al Journal for Parasitology 23: 221-229. A culture system has been est ablished to produce gram amounts of peritrophic membrane from larvae o f the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. Peritrophic membrane obtained fr om this culture has been used to immunize sheep. The immunization prod uced an immune response which resulted in the average weight of larvae on immunized sheep being only 50% of that of larvae grown on control sheep (P < 0.05). Fractionation of the components of the peritrophic m embrane followed by immunization trials showed that the protective ant igen fraction comprised material that could only be solubilized by har sh agents such as 4 M-urea. Even after solubilization by 4 M-urea, the protective antigens were able to produce a protecive immune response which reduced growth of larvae on immunized sheep to 55% of larvae gro wn on control sheep (P < 0.05). This immune response which reduced gro wth of the larvae did not cause gross morphological damage to the larv ae.