Effects of Fasciola hepatica infection on responses of rats to reinfection with Salmonella dublin.

The survival rate of rats given potentially lethal doses of 7.6 X 10(8) to 10(9) Salmonella dublin intraperitoneally was enhanced in those which had been infected six weeks previously with 10(2) S dublin by the same route. Fasciola hepatica given six weeks before or one week after 10(2) S dublin did not alter the survival rate of rats reinfected with S dublin. However high levels (10(4) to 10(6) per g) of S dublin persisted in the tissues and faeces of fluke-infected but not of fluke-free rats. Agglutinating antibody responses to S dublin were unimpaired in fluke-infected rats but cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity reactions were slightly reduced. the humoral agglutinating antibody response may be important for survival of the host but other responses may be necessary for elimination of S dublin from the tissues.