Article
Repeated infections with Schistosoma mansoni and liver fibrosis in undernourished mice.
Registro en:
COUTINHO, E. de M. Repeated infections with Schistosoma mansoni and liver fibrosis in undernourished mice. Acta Tropica, v. 101, p. 15-24, 2007.
0001-706X
Autor
Coutinho, Eridan de Medeiros
Silva, Fabiana Leticia da
Barros, Andréia Ferreira de
Araújo, Roni Evencio de
Oliveira, Sheilla Andrade de
Luna, Carlos Feitosa
Barbosa Junior, Aryon de Almeida
Andrade, Zilton de Araújo
Resumen
The mouse model of schistosomal periportal fibrosis (Symmers’ “pipestem” fibrosis), that develops in 30–50% of the infected
animals, is not reproduced in undernourished mice. Host nutritional status is likely to be a variable that may influence the outcome
and progression of infection, since it interferes with the dynamics of connective tissue changes occurring in chronic hepatic
schistosomiasis. Re-infections increase the occurrence of periportal liver fibrosis in well-nourished animals, but it is not known
how undernourished mice would behave being repeatedly re-infected. So, 21-day-old male albino Swiss mice were individually
exposed to 30 cercariae (percutaneous route) of the BH strain of Schistosoma mansoni, 4 weeks after being on a low-protein diet.
Control animals were fed on a commercial balanced chow for mice. The nutritional status was evaluated by body weight gain and
measurement of food intake. Mice were divided into four groups: A1 (undernourished, single infected), A2 (well-nourished, single
infected), B1 (undernourished, re-infected), B2 (well-nourished, re-infected). The primary infection was performed 4 weeks after
ingesting the respective diet. Re-infections started 45 days later, with exposure to 15 cercariae, at 15 day intervals. Mice were
sacrificed 18 weeks after the primary exposure. The livers were submitted to morphological (gross and microscopic pathology),
morphometric (percentage of fibrosis; granuloma size; volume and numerical densities) by using semi-automatic morphometry, and
biochemical (quantification of collagen as hydroxyproline) studies. Worm burdens and hepatic egg counting were also recorded.
Values for body weight gains were always lower in undernourished mice, the effects of re-infection being minimal on this regard.
Liver and spleen weights were higher in well-nourished mice (either single infected or re-infected) and mainly related to the type
of ingested diet. A greater number of re-infected well-nourished mice developed periportal fibrosis, but undernourished re-infected
animals did not reproduce this lesion. The percentage of fibrosis and hepatic collagen content were higher in well-nourished mice,
but differences between single infected and re-infected groups were not statistically significant