| Abstract: | The characteristics of lymphocyte subpopulations involved in mediating immunity to the intestinal nematode Trichinella spiralis in vivo have been examined using adoptive transfer in conjunction with accurate cell-sorting and cell-depletion techniques. Positive selection of cell subsets, using FACS sorting and velocity sedimentation at unit gravity, confirm that rapidly dividing T blasts are the major population that mediates expulsion of the worm from the gut. Furthermore, cell-depletion studies demonstrated that the T-cell subset involved is of the L3T4 + ve Lyt 2-ve phenotype. This phenotype suggests class II MHC restriction in recognition of T. spiralis antigens by T cells in vivo. The roles that such T cells play in immunity to T. spiralis are discussed in terms of lymphokine release. |
