Babesia bovis: in vitro phagocytosis promoted by immune serum and by antibodies produced against protective antigens.

The in vitro phagocytosis of both Babesia bovis-infected red cells and of parasites exposed by lysis of infected red blood cells is demonstrated in a phagocytic mouse model. Twenty-four B. bovis immune sera were tested alone or as a pool as were antibodies (DS antibodies) raised against a B. bovis protective fraction, prepared by dextran sulfate precipitation. All the immune sera failed to promote significant levels of phagocytosis, whereas the other antibodies (DS antibodies) consistently induced phagocytosis of infected cells in all the experiments carried out. This study shows that antibody specificity is critical to the opsonization of infected red cells and parasites during in vitro phagocytosis and suggests that phagocytosis is one of the mechanisms in the in vivo immune response against Babesia species.