The IgM antibody activities in relation to the parasitologic status of Toxocara canis in dogs.

In order to interpret the relation between the IgM antibody activities to Toxocara canis (T. canis) and the parasitologic status, sera from puppies and adult dogs were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. At the same time, autopsy was performed on these dogs for counting the number of T. canis worms and stool examination was carried out for observing the fertilization of eggs. The rates of infection by T. canis in the dogs decreased with age. The number of worms in the intestines ranged one to 39. The IgM antibody activities gradually increased until 3 months of age. Thereafter the significant levels were maintained even at the adult age. However, the IgM antibody levels were not associated with the age and the number of worms (P greater than 0.05) when the correlation coefficients were calculated between them. In contrast to the IgG antibodies, the results of the present study indicated that the IgM antibody activities do not relate to the age, the number of worms and the fertilization of eggs.