The effect of host immunity on the metabolism of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis.

Measurements were made, at different stages of infection, of the uptake by N. brasiliensis of labelled inorganic phosphate from the host. It was found that uptake declined rapidly from day 7 of the infection onward. Worms showing lowered phosphate uptake could however `recover' when transferred surgically to a fresh rat, the extent of recovery depending on the length of sojourn in the primary host. The relevance of these results to the mechanism of immune expulsion of N. brasiliensis is discussed.