Abstract
The biological behaviors and immunologic responses of normal and
irradiated infective larvae of Nippostrongyius brasiliensis, a nematode
parasite of rats, are discussed. The prepatent period of the parasite
an rats inoculated with irradiated larvae subjected to 25,000 T, 30,000
1, and 35,000 r was longer than that of the normal larvae, and the
worms produced fewer eggs The infective larvae subjected to 40,000 r,
45,000 r, and 50,000 r showed marked morphological abnormalities.
Comparatively more pathological changes in the hosts were produced by
the irradiated larvae treated with lower doses of irradiation
Percentages of worms recovered in initial infections with normal
infective larvae were higher than in infections with irradiated larvae,
In the challenge infections, fewer worms were recovered from rats
initially infected with irradiated larvae and subsequently challenged
with normal larvae, than were recovered from rats initially infected
with nomal larvae and subsequently challenged with normal larvae.
Larvae irradiated with 30,000 T and 35,000 r of total gamma irradiation
proved of immunologic vaiue.