Using heat shock proteins as indicators of the immune function in wistar rats during a secondary Trichinella spiralis infection.

The muscle, liver, brain and spleen tissues from Wistar rats with either a primary Trichinella spiralis infection alone, or reinfected 45 days after primary infection, were collected at Days 1, 7, 14, 20 and 27 post reinfection. They were then assayed for levels of four heat shock proteins (HSPs), i.e. hsp90, hsp70, hsp60 and hsp25. Detection and quantitation of the separate HSPs in tissue specimens were achieved using Western blot and image analysis technique, respectively. The results show that the elements affecting altered expression of rat organs' HSP were 'neutralized' by resistance-related events in immunized rats. Thus, while rat organs exhibited varying HSP levels in primary infections [Martinez, J., Perez-Serrano, J., Bernadina, W., Rodriguez-Caabeiro, F., 1999. Parasitology 118, 202-209], there was, in reinfected versus primary-infected rats, no difference in test HSPs levels in any organ, and at any time within the time course of this study. We have interpreted the results by using the model that involves induction of anti-T.spiralis immunity during primary infection and (almost) complete removal of effectors of tissue injury (infective T.spiralis larvae and newborn larvae) during reinfection.