Effect of Bacillus Callmette Guerin (BCG) on the receptivity of nude mice to Schistosoma mansoni
Tribouley, J.; Tribouley-Duret, J.; Appriou, M.
Comptes Rendus des Seances de la Societe de Biologie et de ses Filiales 172(5): 902-904
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-9026 PMID: 157204 Document Number: 135489
Ten athymic 'nude' mice (Nu/Nu homozygotes) and 10 normal mice (Nu/+ heterozygotes) were each intravenously injected with 1.0 mg live BCG and, 14 days later, were each infected with 1200 Schistosoma mansoni cercariae. 10 mice of each type were infected only with S. mansoni. The number of pulmonary schistosomules counted 5 days after infection was significantly less in both BCG-infected Nu/Nu and Nu/+ mice than in the respective non-BCG-infected control groups. The results indicate that enhancement of the immune response may occur in athymic mice deprived of mature T lymphocytes, as well as in immunologically intact mice.