Potentiated reagin response to ovalbumin in Schistosoma mansoni infected rats and in rats treated with a soluble metabolic product from adult worms.

Infection by Schistosoma mansoni in the rat was found able to maintain high levels of reaginic antibody to an unrelated antigen, ovalbumin, mainly when infection was carried out 14 days after immunization. In addition, administration of a soluble metabolic product of living worms, the immunosuppressive activity of which was removed by dialysis, was also effective in inducing a potentiated response to ovalbumin.