Schistosoma mansoni: host antigen occurrence on worms recovered from laboratory vertebrate animals.

By transferring Schistosoma mansoni (12 to 14-day-old worms) from one host into the peritoneal cavity of a host of a different species, it was possible to demonstrate that worms grown in rats, hamsters, Mastomys natalensis and Cebus monkeys were rejected by recipient animals previously immunized against red blood cells of the donor hosts. These results suggest that host-like antigens are acquired by S. mansoni in all hosts. The transfer of worms into the peritoneal cavity has proved to be a simple and convenient method for studying the presence of host antigens in S. mansoni.