The Effects of Ethanol Consumption on the Expression of Immunity to Trichinella spiralis in Rats

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Abstract
The effects of ethanol ingestion on immune responses of female rats against Trichinella spiralis (T. spirallis) infections were investigated. Female rats were pair-fed either ethanol-containing or isocaloric control liquid diets for 68 days, during which time they underwent one pregnancy cycle. For some studies, animals were fed ethanol diets for 68 days beginning prior to pregnancy and continuing through lactation and involution. They were infected on Day 7 of involution with 1000 L1 larvae of T. spiralis and tested for a primary rejection response 10 days later. To test for a secondary immune response, rats were infected with T. spiralis, placed on ethanol-containing liquid diet 15 days later, and after 68 days on diets, challenged with 1000 T. spiralis larvae and killed 3 days later. For primary immunized studies, ethanol-treated animals demonstrated significantly lower levels of anti-T. spiralis serum antibodies in ELISA, reduced rates of H3 thymidine incorporation by lymph node cells stimulated with T. spiralis antigen and significantly higher numbers of intestinal worm burdens (decreased immunity) compared with pair-fed controls. For animals sensitized to T. spiralis prior to pregnancy and given a secondary challenge during involution, no differences were found between ethanol and pair-fed animals in their ability to reject their worm burdens or in anti-T. spiralis serum antibody levels; however, ethanol-treated animals showed reduced rates of thymidine incorporation by lymph node cells when stimulated with T. spiralis antigen. These results suggest that ethanol consumed prior to immunization can inhibit immune responses, including antibody production, to T. spiralis during a primary immune responses; however, when made immune prior to ethanol administration, it has less of an effect on a secondary immune challenge.