Abstract:In order to investigate the changes of T cell subtypes and cytokine level in spleen of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantontensis, BALB/c mice were infected with the third stage larva of Angiostrongylus cantontensis from snail Achatina fulica. The splenocytes of mice were collected and cuLtured on the 19th and 25th days post-infection, the subtypes of T cells were detected by Flow Cytometry with fluorescence staining method and the cytokines in cultured supernatants of splenocytes were assayed by the method of ELISA. Results showed that the percentages of CD4+ and CD4+IL-4+T cells in splenocytes of infected mice were much higher than those in normal control mice, however the percentages of CD4+ IL-17 +and CD4+IFN-γ+T cell were much lower. In comparison with normal control group, the concentration of IL-4 in the cultured supernatants of splenocytes in infected groups increased significantly,but that of IL-17 decreased significantly. In addition, the factors ex. the number of larva infected and days after infection could influence the T cell subtypes and their cytokine levels in spleen too. It is evident that the CD4+ T lymphocytes of spleen in the mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantontensis proliferate markedly and polarize to Th2 phenotypes.