Phenotypic Characterization of the Response to Infection with Trichinella spiralis in Genetically Defined Mouse Lines of the CBi-IGE Stock

Abstract

Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis), which is a cosmopolitan nematode that infects humans among other species, presents a complex host-parasite relationship that hinders the development of tools to eradicate the parasitosis. The aim of this research was to analyze the host response during a primary infection with T. spiralis in five genetically different mouse lines of the CBi-IGE stock. Adult males from the CBi+, CBi−, CBi, CBi/L and CBi/C lines were infected with 1, 2 or 4 L1 larvae per g of body weight. In the chronic stage, the number of parasites per g of tissue (relative larval load, rLL) showed a significant host genotype-dose interaction, since it did not increase in the same way in the five genotypes. At the lowest dose, both CBi− and CBi/L mice were resistant while CBi+, CBi/C, and CBi were susceptible. At the highest dose, only CBi/L remained resistant, and CBi+ was the most susceptible.