The current study was designed to obtain an information on the immune factors which could be underlying the induction of protective immunity to the genus
Fasciola in rats, using immunosuppressive drugs and diffusion chamber technique. The rats became resistant to challenge with the Japanese species of
Fasciola following an oral infection with metacercariae, indicating a significant degree of reduced worm burdens. This protective effect in the immunized rats, however, was abrogated by the administration of immunosuppressants, dexamethasone and prednisolone. In rats treated with these drugs, no antigen-antibody band in immunodiffusion plate was recognized throughout the infection, while many bands were observed in sera from the rats without treatment with the drugs. From the results obtained, the antigen-antibody bands in diffusion plate would be a good indicator to estimate the degree of protective immunity to the genus
Fasciola in host animals. By intraperitoneally implanting the immature worms in diffusion chamber, the rats were able to induce a significantly high degree of protective immunity when compared to the natural-immunity control. However, the degree of protective effect was significantly high in rats which received free worm (without chamber) implantation. In the experimental rats, each fraction of their serum proteins was also examined by performing cellulose acetate electrophoresis. More detailed examination is required to investigate the immune factors in the protective immunity to the fluke in rats, using immunosuppressive drugs and/or diffusion chamber techniques in terms of host-parasite relationship.
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