Acetylcholinesterase activity in Nippostrongylus brasiliensis during the course of a primary infection in normal and in protein-deficient rats.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was measured in Nippostrongylus brasiliensis recovered during the course of a primary infection in normal and in protein-deficient rats. In well-nourished rats the amount of AChE present in N. brasiliensis increased as the infection progressed, concomitant with the development of the humoral response. In malnourished rats, there was a similar and parallel increase in the amount of AChE synthesized by worms between days 7 and 13 of the infection but as the infection progressed enzyme production decreased so that, by day 26 of the infection, the nematodes contained approximately the same amount of AChE as 8-day-old worms. The possible reasons for this change in enzyme production are discussed.