Regulation of immunoglobulin E production in mice immunized with an extract of Toxoplasma gondii.

Repeated infection with Toxoplasma gondii could not induce immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody production. When mice were injected intraperitoneally twice over a 3-week interval with an extract of tachyzoites of T. gondii and Al(OH)3 as adjuvant, antitoxoplasma IgE antibody was produced. Antitoxoplasma IgE antibody titers were low and diminished after a short time in B10.S, BALB/c, C3H, and C57BL/6 mice. This tendency was more evident in IgE low-responder SJL mice. IgE-inducing activity of Toxoplasma antigen was weaker than those of keyhole limpet hemocyanin, ovalbumin, and an extract from Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. The antitoxoplasma IgE antibody production was enhanced by and persisted after whole-body irradiation (150 R) following secondary immunization. The enhanced antitoxoplasma IgE antibody production was suppressed by transferring spleen cells from Toxoplasma antigen-immunized mice. The suppressive effect of the spleen cells was Toxoplasma antigen specific and was removed by treatment with anti-Thy-1.2 and complement. These results indicate that the low IgE production induced by Toxoplasma antigen is the result of irradiation-sensitive and antigen-specific suppressor T cells. These findings might explain the lack of IgE antibody response in mice with Toxoplasma infection.