Antibody-dependent cell-mediated damage to schistosomula in vitro

ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT cell-mediated cytotoxic effects have been described in many in vitro models involving single-cell suspensions of mammalian or avian target cells, and could be important in the rejection of tumours and allografts 1–6 . Similar responses could also be involved in protective immunity against metazoan parasites, and evidence for cell-mediated effector mechanisms of various types has emerged from work on Nippostrongylus braziliensis 7 and Litomosoides carinii 8 in rats. Here we present two new aspects of cell-mediated responses to metazoan parasites. First, we have adapted the 51 Cr-release technique to assay damage to schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni in vitro . Second, we provide evidence that normal human peripheral blood leukocytes, in the presence of sera from patients infected with S. mansoni , can damage labelled schistosomula in the absence of added complement.