Figure 4.
Infection of adult mice reduces allergic parameters. A total of 8 young mice (28 days old, left side) or 8 adult mice (8–10 weeks, right side) were infected with 100 oocysts at day 0 and then these mice and control mice were sensitized and challenged with OVA, as in Figure 1a. (a) Numbers of CCR3-positive cells infiltrating into the BALF, normalized to 5,000 beads, in infected young or adult mice as compared to the average levels of CCR3-positive cells seen in uninfected mice (diamond, middle). (b) Levels of IL-5 (pg/ml) in the BALF of infected young or adult mice in comparison to uninfected mice (diamond, center). (c) Levels of eotaxin-1 mRNA, as determined by quantitative PCR, in the lungs of young or old infected mice compared to uninfected mice (diamond, center). In each case, the P value asserts a significant difference between uninfected mice and previously infected adult mice, which conversely show no significant difference vs. previously infected young mice.