Rat mononuclear cells and neutrophils are more effective than eosinophils in antibody-mediated stage-specific killing of Trichinella spiralis in vitro.

The capacity of non-infected rat total, eosinophil-enriched and eosinophil-depleted fractions of peritoneal exudate and bone marrow cells to adhere to and kill Trichinella spiralis newborn larvae with immune rat serum has been studied in vitro. The eosinophil-depleted peritoneal exudate cell fraction contained mainly mononuclear cells, whereas the corresponding bone marrow cell fraction consisted of a considerable number of neutrophils. All cell types either originating from the peritoneal cavity or the bone marrow, showed adherence and killing properties to the Trichinella newborn larvae. It was concluded that mononuclear cells and neutrophils are capable of and more effective than eosinophils in stage-specific killing of Trichinella in vitro.