Immunological memory and lymphoblast-migration in mice infected with Hymenolepis nana.

The presence of small cells carrying memory and lymphoblast migration in C57 Bl/6N inbred mice with the intestinal parasite Hymenolepis nana were investigated. Hymenolepis nana egg-infection stimulated an enhanced accumulation of mesenteric lymphoblasts at days 3, 6 and 9 after infection; lymphoblasts accumulated selectively in the mesenteric nodes (MLN) of mice suggesting a cell-trapping effect. The migration was studied using lymphoblasts from non-infected donors. Spleen cells and MLNC collected from donor mice 30 days after a primary infection and enriched for T cells were able to transfer an adoptive immunity, by contrast unseparated cells were uneffective. This result provides preliminary evidence for the existence of T memory cells in the spleen and in the mesenteric nodes.