Phospholipase B in the brains and meninges of nonsensitized and sensitized rats after challenge with Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Protective immunity against Angiostrongylus cantonensis in rats following sensitizing infections

Three strains (ACI, August and Wistar) of rats previously sensitized by oral infection with intact third-stage larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis developed significant protective immunity to challenge infections 6 weeks later. The degree of the immunity was highest in the August strain of rats, followed by Wistar and ACI rats. Protective immunity appears to affect both third-stage larvae and fourth- and/or fifth-stage worms. ACI rats showed poor antibody responses, especially in the IgE fraction. When 24-day-old young adult worms were transferred from the brain of donor rats into the peritoneal cavity of sensitized rodents, peritoneal eosinophils predominantly adhered to the worm surfaces in vivo.