IMMUNE COMPLEXES IN TRICHINELLOSIS PROTECTION The animals were immunized with immune complexes formed in vitro in agar gels. The immunoprecipitates obtained from the reaction between soluble antigens from Trichinella spiralis and serum from infected animals, were eluted and used for immunization of animals. Mice were bleed weekly, they after seven weeks were challanged with infective larvae from T. spiralis. Antibody production against T. spiralis was detected by Western blot and the protection induced by immunization was evaluated by histology, counting the number and the integrity of muscular larvae. After five week's immunization anti-trichinella antibodies were detected by dot-ELISA and Western blot. Antigenic bands with different molecular weights were recognized by sera from most animals; being the prominent band at 45 kDa. Mice with antibodies against 45 kDa protein and challanged with T. spiralis had less number of muscular larvae than the non-immunized controls. In addition, immunized animals exhibited a strong reaction against Trichinella and muscular larvae were almost destroyed.