The host response in secondary hydatidosis of mice. I. Circulating antibodies.

The infection of young albino mice by the intraperitoneal injection of viable hydatid protoscolices provided a suitable model for the investigation of the factors controlling the subsequent host immune response. Antibodies detectable by haemagglutination and complement fixation appeared around the 14th week after infection. Increases in antibody titres were related to the potency of the antigenic impulse(s) produced by the healthy germinal membrane and viable protoscolices. Our results suggest that qualitative and quantitative variations in excretory, secretory and somatic antigens, occurring during the different phases of parasite development, incite the production of a multitude of antibodies, only a few of which are detectable by conventional methods.