Peritoneal cell population of mice infected with Mesocestoides corti as a source of eosinophils.

A prominent feature of the inflammatory cellular response in the peritoneal cavity of Mesocestoides corti-infected mice is a marked and sustained increase in the number of eosinophils. In intact mice, the total number of nucleated cells in the peritoneal cavity rises from less than 5 X 10(6) to more than 50 X 10(6) and, at certain time points, in excess of 50% of these cells are eosinophils. Peritoneal eosinophils are absent in infected hypothymic nude (nu/nu) mice of three genotypes, and eosinophils counts can be elevated in infected nude mice by injection of peripheral lymphoid cells or thymocytes. The peritoneal cells of M. corti-infected mice are a convenient starting cell population for eosinophil purification.