Acquired immunity to Babesia microti and Babesia rodhaini in mice

Abstract

Mice infected with Babesia rodhaini can be cured with a single injection of Diampron and are immune to challenge with the same species. Mice infected with B. microti recover naturally from their infections and are also immune to challenge. The immunity extends to the heterologous species in both infections. In some cases parasites persist at a low level after recovery but in others the immunity is of a true sterile type. Immunity once established is unaffected by splenectomy in mice which have recovered from B. rodhaini and challenged with either B. rodhaini or B. microti.We wish to express our thanks to May and Baker Ltd. who kindly provided us with the Diampron used in these experiments.