Establishment of T-Helper-2 immune response based gerbil model of enteric infection.

Background: The reciprocal antagonism of T‐helper‐1 (Th‐1) and Th‐2 type immune responses suggests that helminth parasitic infection may ameliorate disease where a Th‐1 type response dominates. The Mongolian gerbil has been useful in the investigation of the pathogenesis of gastric cancer, since long‐term infection of gerbils with Helicobacter pylori induces adenocarcinoma. In this study the kinetics of worm expulsion and associated immune responses in gerbils infected with Trichinella spiralis were investigated in an attempt to establish an animal model of parasitic infection that could be helpful when investigating the effect of a Th‐2 type response on Th‐1‐based intestinal disorders. Methods: Gerbils were infected with various doses of infective T. spiralis larvae and were euthanized on different days after infection to investigate the intestinal worm recovery, goblet cell population, eosinophil response and serum IgG1 responses. Results: The number of worms recovered from the intestine was dependent o...