The effects of deoxyspergualin (DSG), a newly developed immunosuppressive agent, on protective immunity to Hymenolepis nana reinfection were examined in BALB/c mice. Administration of DSG at daily doses of 10.0 mg/kg to 30.0 mg/kg (but not 5.0 mg/kg) caused suppression of protective immunity when the agent was injected intraperitoneally during the induction phase of the immunity. In contrast, daily administration of 30.0 mg/kg DSG, during effector phase, could not suppress protective immunity. DSG inhibited endogenous interferon-gamma production in mesenteric lymph nodes induced by H. nana challenge infection, when the agent was injected intraperitoneally at a daily dose of 10.0 mg/kg during the induction phase of immunity. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) local transfer analysis revealed that administration of DSG at 10.0 mg/kg/day into donor mice during induction phase of immunity inhibited generation of effector/memory cells that mediate DTH to H. nana egg antigen. However, DSG could not inhibit DTH effector cell activation when cells prepared from H. nana-infected, saline-injected mice were transferred into recipient treated with 10.0 mg/kg DSG. Administration of DSG at a dose of 10.0 mg/kg daily for 5 days produced large DNA fragments in mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells. These results strongly suggest that DSG suppresses generation of effector/memory cells by apoptotic cell death but cannot suppress lymphocyte activation in vivo.