Humoral immune responses of the Indian leaf monkey (Presbytis entellus) experimentally infected with Brugia malayi and
exhibiting disease manifestations were studied. Microfilaraemia, filaria-specific IgG and circulating immune complexes
(CICs) were determined in the monkeys at different time-points after inoculation of B. malayi 3rd-stage larvae. Sera were
analysed for recognition pattern of adult parasite antigen molecules by immunoblotting. More than 60% of the infected
monkeys developed episodic or persistent limb oedema with or without fever and with low or no microfilaraemia. While
both CIC and filaria specific IgG levels were comparable in animals showing no disease symptoms (asymptomatics) and
some animals showing symptoms (symptomatics), IgG levels peaked during pre-patent stage in symptomatics and during
latent stage in asymptomatic animals. However, some of the symptomatic animals showed a low level of filaria-specific IgG
as compared to asymptomatic and other symptomatic animals. The immunoblot analysis showed non-reactivity of 17 and
55 kDa antigens with sera of symptomatic animals. The results thus suggest that humoral immune responses as measured
in the present study do not precede the development of the manifestations. However, 2 non-reactive antigen molecules
identified by symptomatic sera need further study to establish their possible involvement, if any, in the development
of acute disease manifestations in this model.