IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO THE FILARIA LITOMOSOIDES SIGMODONTIS IN SUSCEPTIBLE AND RESISTANT MICE

Comparisons were made between the immune responses evoked during the c ourse of chronic and patent infections of Litomosoides sigmodontis in susceptible BALB/c mice ann non-patent infections in resistant B10.D2 mice. Early antigen specific responses of spleen cells were weak in bo th mouse strains. However, by day 58 post infection a strong Th2 respo nse, as determined by production of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10, was observed in BALB/c mice but not in B10.D2 mice. Antibody responses seemed to a ppear sooner in B10.D2 than in BALB/c mice, and these differentially r ecognised two antigens of 15 kD and 80 kD.