Subclasses of IgG in different aged rats with fasciolosis.

The variations in antibody responses (total IgG and IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG2c subclasses) were studied in two groups of rats infected with metacercariae of the trematode Fasciola hepatica L. Animals of group 1 were 4 weeks old, and rats of group 2 were 13 weeks old. All IgG subclasses increased during the course of infection except IgG2c, which decreased. The younger rats reached more marked responses than the older, at least during the period of this trial. IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies reached the highest levels, and among these two, IgG2a response was slightly superior to IgG1.