Immunization of BALB/c mice with an antigen from Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae using Lactobacillus casei as adjuvant

Abstract

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE ADJUVANT CAPACITY OF LACTOBACILLUS CASEI WITH LARVAL ANTIGENS FROM TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS. FIFTY BALB/C MICE WERE ALLOCATED INTO FIVE GROUPS OF TEN ANIMALS EACH, DIVIDED INTO TWO SUBGROUPS (A AND B) OF FIVE MICE EACH. THE TREATMENTS WERE ADMINISTERED BY AN INTRAPERITONEAL (I.P.) ROUTE AS FOLLOWS: GROUP 1 (G1) PHYSIOLOGIC SALINE SOLUTION; GROUP 2 (G2) VIABLE LACTOBACILLUS CASEI (VLC); GROUP 3 (G3) VLC AND SOLUBLE EXTRACT FROM T. SPIRALIS MUSCLE LARVAE (TSPMLAG); GROUP 4 (G4) VLC, TSPMLAG AND INCOMPLETE FREUND´S ADJUVANT; GROUP 5 (G5) TSPMLAG IN FREUND” S COMPLETE ADJUVANT (FCA). AT DAY 21 ALL MICE WERE ORALLY CHALLENGED WITH 400 T. SPIRALIS MUSCLE LARVAE PER MOUSE. ANIMALS IN A SUBGROUPS WERE SACRIFICED AT DAY FOUR POST- INFECTION (P.I.) TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF ADULT WORMS IN THE INTESTINE (AWI); WHILE THOSE MICE FROM B SUBGROUPS WERE SACRIFICED AT DAY 31 P.I. TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF LARVAE PER GRAM OF MUSCLE TISSUE (LPGMT). THE PERCENTAGES OF REDUCTION OF AWI WERE OF 79, 68, 60 AND 62 FOR G2, G3, G4 AND G5, RESPECTIVELY, ALL SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.01) WITH RESPECT TO THE CONTROL GROUP G1. THE PERCENTAGES OF REDUCTION OF LPGMT WERE OF 42.7, 87, 26.7 AND 86.7 FOR G2, G3, G4 AND G5, RESPECTIVELY. THE MAXIMAL REDUCTION OF LPGMT OBSERVED IN G3 AND G5 WAS SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.01) WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER GROUPS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT VIABLE L. CASEI BEHAVES AS AN ADJUVANT WHEN ADMINISTERED TO MICE ALONG WITH T. SPIRALIS ANTIGENS.