Autoradiographic study of the attrition of migrating schistosomula in the skin of mice. I. Mice immunized with highly X-irradiated Schistosoma mansoni cercariae.

The migratory pattern in naive mice of Schistosoma mansoni cercariae X-irradiated with OkR, 12kR, or 48rR has been investigated with compressed organ autoradiography. Three groups of 69 mice each were infected with 75Se-labelled cercariae. The skin at the site of infection, as well as the entire lungs and liver were removed from infected mice daily from 1-21d, on 24d, and on 28d; tissues were then processed for autoradiography. Autoradiographic analysis of migratory patterns showed that the schistosomula derived from nonattenuated cercariae passed quickly from the skin to the lungs and at a moderate rate from the lungs to the liver. Schistosomula derived from 12kR-irradiated cercariae were delayed in passing from the skin to the lungs and from the lungs to the liver, so that many remained in the lungs and died there, while only a few died in the skin or liver. Schistosomula derived from 48kR-irradiated cercariae remained mainly in the skin, rarely reached the lungs and were never found in the liver. This study indicates that immunization with 48kR-irradiated cercariae will cause no significant lesions in the lungs or liver.