Kinetics of humoral & cellular immune responses in experimental cysticercosis in pigs infected with Taenia solium

Studies were undertaken to assess the kinetics of antibody responses, lymph ocyte transformation to Taenia solium larval antigens (crude soluble extrac t antigen and antigen B), and T cell subpopulation in piglets following exp erimental infection. Cysticercosis was established in 1-2 month old piglets after feeding 5,00,000 T. solium eggs per pig. The anti- CD4 and anti-CDS monoclonal antibodies against swine T cells were raised indigenously. It wa s observed that at 60 days post infection (PI) there was a significant incr ease (P<0.01) in CD4+ T cells without any change in CD8+ T cells, Increased H-3-thymidine uptake was found in infected piglets at 45 days PI using bot h CSE and antigen B. Kinetics of antibody responses indicated significant i ncrease (P<0.01) at 15 days PI (with CSE antigen) and 30 days PI (with anti gen B) by ELISA, This increase persisted till 90 days PI (the time up to wh ich the animals were followed), It was also observed that the cellular mech anisms were triggered in late stage (60 days PI) as compared to humoral res ponses (15-30 days PI) and may persist longer as seen by both lymphocyte tr ansformation and T cell subpopulation studies, The study suggests that in c ysticercosis, both humoral and cellular mechanisms may play a role in the h ost defences.