effect of treatment on resistance to reinfection with schistosoma haematobium in hamsters and the measures of the anti-body levels by the elisa

ABSTRACT

Groups of five hamsters were infected with S. haematobium, treated at 17 weeks, reinfected at 24 weeks with different regimens and then were perfused at 35 weeks. Antibodies were measured every two weeks by the ELISA using different antigens. The results showed that [i] hamsters reinfected 24 weeks showed 61% resistance [ii] chemotherapeutic eradication of the adult worms 17 weeks after the primary infection greatlyreduced the resistance seven weeks later;[iii] the antibody levels declined in response to treatment and was highly significant by the fifth week; [iv] antibodies detected by soluble egg antigen [SEA] are more than those detected either by adult worm antigen [AWA] or cercarial antigen; [v] the antibddy level rose in response to reinfection in the treated group and declined in the not reinfected group [vi] the antibody level did not rise in response to the reinfection in the group with primary infection and challenge, but showed a decline as in the group with primary infection only; this was more apparent with AWA than with SEA