Los productos de excreción-secreción de Fasciola hepatica disminuyen la producción de células productoras de anticuerpos contra antígenos timodependientes en ratones

the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of adult fasciola hepatica excretion-secretion products administered intraperitoneally (ip) to nih mice, on the number of cells producing antibodies against sheep erythrocytes (thymus dependent antigen). thirteen mice were distributed at random into two groups which were treated ip, daily during seven days, with either phosphate buffered saline (group i: pbs, n = 6) or excretion-secretion products of adult fasciola hepatica (group ii: esp_fh, n = 7). at day eight, each mouse in both groups was immunized ip with sheep erythrocytes and four days later, the number of plaque-forming cells (pfc) in a suspension of spleen cells per each mouse was recorded. the mean number (± sem) of pfc obtained in the group pbs was significantly higher (72 ± 10; p < 0.01) than the value observed in the group esp_fh (27 ± 9). the results indicate that esp_fh induce immunosupression to thymus-dependent antigens in mice.