Carrier effect by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection on rat antihapten IgE antibody response.

Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection was found to be highly effective in inducing a carrier-specific enhancing effect on primary and secondary antihapten IgE antibody response in the rat, when animals were immunized i.p. with 10 mug of dinitrophenylated N. brasiliensis protein (DNP-Nb) plus 10 mg Al(OH)3 2 weeks after the infection. The carrier effect by the infection was much greater than that obtained by any other supplementary immunization with the carrier (Nb) plus adjuvant, so far examined, in terms of the IgE antibody response. The results, together with our previous observation in the mouse, provide an explanation for the reason why antiworm IgE antibodies are so easily detectable in helminth infections.