Serum samples of humans and animals with Trichinella infection of different duration and severity were analysed for Trichinella antibodies by four different serological methods. The indirect immunofluorescence test and the indirect haemagglutination test proved to be the most sensitive ones. Complement-fixation reaction gave the poorest results. In fresh Trichinella infections the heterologous antibody against cercaria of S. mansoni was more strongly developed than the homologous antibody which is effective in the microprecision test on Trichinella larvae. Although the animals deliberately infected also had, at the beginning of infection, a marked reaction to cercaria, this test became negative earlier than the microprecipitation test. Differentiation of Trichinella from Schistosoma infections is serologically possible without difficulty by means of adult schistosomes. The cross-reaction observed between T. spiralis and various Filaria types can be differentiated with adult O. volvulus as antigen.

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