Effects of levamisole on ethanol-induced suppression of lactational immune transfer in rats.

Maternal ethanol consumption in rats has been shown to inhibit lactational transfer of immunity to Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) from dams to their neonates. The purpose of this study was to determine if this depressed immune transfer could be altered by treating the dams with a known immunostimulatory drug during pregnancy and lactation. Groups of female rats were fed ethanol-containing or were pair-fed isocaloric control liquid diets for 30 days, infected orally with 1,000 T. spiralis larva, and then continued on diet for 10 days to allow the adult worms to establish. The animals were placed on chow diets (maximum 5 days) and mated 1 to 1 with males. On day 1 of pregnancy the animals were returned to their respective liquid diets through pregnancy and lactation. One-half of the ethanol-treated animals was given 15 mg/kg body weight of levamisole in the diet beginning on day 10 of pregnancy and continuing until day 17 of lactation. On day 19 of lactation, pups from all experimental groups were challenged orally with 200 T. spiralis larva, and killed at 3 or 8 days postchallenge. Assays for intestinal worm burdens, IgG anti-T. spiralis serum antibodies, and mesenteric lymph node cell proliferation were conducted. At both sacrifice periods, pups from ethanol-treated animals showed significantly higher intestinal worm counts (decreased immunity) and significantly lower titers of specific antibodies than the pups of pair-fed animals or pups of animals receiving levamisole in addition to ethanol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)