Cellular immune responses in the skin of sheep infected with larvae of Lucilia cuprina, the sheep blowfly

Abstract

Cellular immune responses were observed in the skin of sheep after primary and secondary infection with sheep blowfly (Lucilia cuprina) larvae. Both primary and secondary infections resulted in a massive cellular infiltration within 48 h of wound initiation, with the majority of cells having the CD45 phenotype. Neutrophils comprised the major cell type at the skin surface. In the dermis, the number of CD4+ T helper, γδ-TCR+ cells and T19+ (CD4-, CD8-) T cells also increased significantly in skin during both primary and secondary infections compared with control sites. However, there was no significant difference in the numbers of these cells between primary and secondary infections. An incre..