Trypanosoma musculi is a protozoan parasite which produces a characteristic, self-limiting murine infection of approximately three weeks duration; the infection comprises a growth phase, a plateau phase and an elimination phase. Following clearance of parasitaemia, a mouse is cured and immune to reinfection. The present studies examine the immune mechanisms which operate during the elimination phase. / Passive transfer of plasma from an immune mouse to an infected recipient brings about rapid and complete clearance of parasitaemia in C57BL/6 mice. This curative activity is labile to heat treatment for 30 minutes at 56$ sp circ$C. A protein A- derived immunoglobulin fraction of immune plasma (IP) shares these properties. Further purification shows that the curative activity resides primarily in the IgG2a subclass, and that this antibody is intrinsically heat-labile. Complement component C3 (but not the lytic C5-C9 sequence) is necessary for antibody-mediated cure of infection. Cellular elements (macrophages) are also essential for elimination of parasitaemia to occur. The ultimate T. musculi effector mechanism thus requires the interaction of both humoral and cellular components.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.75348 |
| Date | January 1987 |
| Creators | Wechsler, Daniel Steven Gary. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Physiology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 000419963, proquestno: AAINL38196, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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