Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:14:34.106Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The use of 35S-labelled Toxocara canis to determine larval numbers in tissues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2009

K. C. Carter
K. C. Carter
Affiliation:
Department of Immunology, University of Strathclyde, The Todd Centre, 31 Taylor Street, Glasgow, G4 ONR, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The potential of using 35S-labelled larvae to determine the number of second-stage Toxocara canis larvae present in the tissues of infected animals was assessed. Infective larvae were labelled by in vitro culture with medium containing 35S-methionine. The amount of radiolabel attached to larvae decayed exponentially with time and had an in vitro mean half life of 3·54±0·65 days. The ‘lost’ radiolabel was incorporated into proteins which formed part of the worm's excretory/secretory products. The levels of radioactivity present in different organs of BALB/c mice, infected with 35S-labelled T. canis larvae, varied over the course of infection. Initially most of the radioactivity was present in liver, but over the course of infection 35S liver levels gradually decreased and brain levels increased. By day 14 post-infection the majority of the isotope was present in the brain (p<0·01). Assessment of antibody levels on day 14 post-infection showed that infection with 35S labelled T. canis larvae induced the production of parasite-specific IgM, IgG and IgG1 antibodies.

Keywords

Toxocara canismouse35S-methionineNematoda
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 66 , Issue 4 , December 1992 , pp. 279 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bradford, M. M. (1976) A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilising the principle of protein-dye binding. Analytical Biochemistry, 72, 248–254.Google Scholar
Del Prete, G. F., De Carli, M., Mastromauro, C., Biagiotti, R., Macchia, D., Falagiani, P., Ricci, M. & Romagnani, D. (1991) Purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and excretory/secretory antigen(s) of Toxocara canis expand in vitro human T cells with stable and opposite (type 1 T helper or type 2 T helper) profile of cytokines. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 88, 346–350.Google Scholar
Dunsmore, J. D., Thompson, R. C. A. & Bates, I. A. (1983) The accumulation of Toxocara canis larvae in the brains of mice. International Journal for Parasitology, 13, 517–521.Google Scholar
Feldmann, M. & Male, D. (1989) Cell co-operation in the immune response. In: Immunology (editors Roitt, I., Brostoff, J. & Male, D.) pp. 8, 1–8.2 Gower Medical Publishing, London, UK.Google Scholar
Johnstone, C., Leventhal, R. & Soulsby, E. J. L. (1978) The spin method for recovering tissue larvae and its uses in evaluating C57BI/6 mice as a model for the study of resistance to infection with Ascaris suum. Journal of Parasitology, 64, 1015–1020.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maizels, R. M., Philipp, M. & Ogilvie, B. M. (1982) Molecules on the surface of parasitic nematodes as probes of the immune response in infection. Immunological Reviews, 61,109–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maizels, R. M., De Savigny, D. & Ogilvie, B. M. (1984) Characterization of surface and excretory-secretory antigens of Toxocara canis infective larvae. Parasite Immunology, 6,23–37.Google Scholar
Maizels, R. M., Kennedy, M. W., Meghji, M., Robertson, B. D. & Smith, H. V. (1987) Shared carbohydrate epitopes on distinct surface and secreted antigens of the parasitic nematode Toxocara canis. Journal of Immunology, 139, 207–214.Google Scholar
Meghji, M. &Maizels, R. M. (1986) Biochemical properties of larval excretory-secretory glycoproteins of the parasitic nematode, Toxocara canis. Molecular and Biochemical Parasirology, 18, 155–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mosmann, T. R. & Coffman, R. L. (1989) Th1 and Th2 cells; different patterns of lymphokine secretion lead to different functional properties. Annual Review of Immunology, 7, 145–173.Google Scholar
Oshima, T. (1961) Standardization of techniques for infecting mice with Toxocara canis and observations on the normal migration routes of the larvae. Journal of Parasitology, 17,652–656.Google Scholar
Smith, H. W. (1989) A rapid method for hatching infective eggs of Toxocara canis. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 83, 215.Google Scholar
Smith, H. V., Quinn, R., Kusel, J. R. & Girdwood, R. W. A. (1981) The effect of temperature and antimetabolites on antibody binding to the outer surface of second-stage Toxocara canis larvae. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 4, 183–193.Google Scholar
Snapper, C. M. & Paul, W. E. (1987) Interferon γ and BSF–1 reciprocally regulate Ig isotype production. Science, 236, 944–947.Google Scholar
Sugane, K. & Oshima, T. (1983) Purification and characterization of ES antigen of Toxocara canis larvae. Immunology, 50, 113–120.Google Scholar
Sugane, K. & Oshima, T. (1984) Interrelationship of eosinophilia and IgE antibody production to larval ES antigen in Toxocara canis infected mice. Parasite Immunology, 6, 409–420.Google Scholar
Wade, S. E. & Georgi, J. R. (1987) Radiolabeling and autoradiographic tracing of Toxocara canis larvae in male mice. Journal of Parasitology, 73, 116–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar