Absence of Typical Nippostrongylus brasiliensis Self-Cure in Putative BALB/c Mice

Abstract

Rejection of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis in mice typically occurs by 14 days postinfection (PI). We report here on a putative BALB/c mouse strain from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) animal colony that did not exhibit a normal pattern of self-cure. Following subcutaneous inoculation with approximately 500 third-stage larvae of N. brasiliensis, the parasite was present in substantial numbers in UTEP BALB/c mice on days 21 and 28 PI and in low numbers through day 70 PI regardless of host sex. Normal self-cure was observed using identical techniques in 2 other BALB/c strains and a CFW strain. Hence, the UTEP BALB/c mouse provides a unique tool to examine the immune response to N. brasiliensis.