Analysis of the results obtained using a technic of experimental primary infestation with Fasciola hepatica in the rat.

In this work, we analyzed the results obtained using a technic of infestation with Fasciola hepatica in the rat. The infestations were carried out with 30 metacercariae in a gelatin capsule. The humoral immune response, measured by ELISA, and the liver necroses, spleen size, number and length of the flukes recovered at necropsy were followed during the course of four experimental primary infestations. The results showed that the magnitude of the parasitic burden did not correlate with the humoral immune response of the rat. The study of the liver necroses, spleen size, fluke length and antibody titres showed that the use of 30 metacercariae in a capsule as a technic of infestation in the rat ensured the homogeneity of the parasite development and the humoral immune response of the host.