Genetically confirmed fasciola hepatogigantica N.SP.

Identification of liver fluke species cannot be achieved by clinical, pathological, coprological or immunological methods. However, the differential diagnosis between F. hepatica and F. gigantica infection is very important because of their different pathological manifestations. Moreover, in countries where the two species co-exist, morphologically intermediate forms were reported. The present study aimed to identify these forms by the use of molecular characterization of DNA sequence. Based on morphometric criteria, adults of Fasciola hepatica, F. gigantica and intermediate forms were collected from naturally infected sheep and cattle from various regions of Sohag Governorate. A simple and rapid new method [QIAamp DNA Mini Kit] was used to isolate DNA from the worms and their RELP patterns were obtained after digestion of the PCR products with AvaII restriction enzymes. The result of a regular PCR experiment for the amplification of the selected 28S rDNA fragment with the designed primer set yielded identical 618- bp-long PCR products for the three types of Fasciola where the RFLP profile obtained from F. hepatica revealed four fragments of 628, 575, 165 and 95 bp, and F. gigantica generated three fragments corresponding to 628, 358 and 300 bp fragments whereas the intermediate forms revealed four fragments of 628, 541, 358 and 300 bp, which were similar to those of F. gigantica but with a distinctive fragment of 541. These results confirmed that three species are present in our locality: F. hepatica, F. gigantica and an intermediate form which was named F. hepatogigantica n.sp. on basis of having few morphometric characters from F. hepatica [length and pattern of uterine coils] but genetically they were more related to F. gigantica

Immunohistochemical analysis of the immune cells in bilharzial granuloma of the urinary bladder

Urinary bilharziasis represent a major health problem in Egypt. It is characterized by the formation of localized collection of immune cells i.e. granulomas. In this investigation, we hypothesized that the evolution of the bilharzial ganuloma is associated with recruitment of immune cells of diverse cell lineage. To explore this hypothesis and to fill this existing gap in the literature, We carried out this investigation. Granuloma cell population was immunohistologically examined in thirty cases of cellular bilharzial granulomas using immunoperoxidase staining methods and antibodies targeting antigens for B cells [CD20]. T cells [CD3]. Histiocytes [CFD68] and cytotoxic T cells [Granzyme B]. The mean values of positive cells in the cellular bilharzial granulomas were: 45.5 +/- 5.6 for CD68 cells: 14.8 +/- 1.1 for CD3 T cells; 9.1 +/- 1.1: for CD20 B cells and 1.5 +/- 0.8: for Granzyme B T cells with cytotoxic activity. The numerical dominance of CD68 cells suggests their critical role in the evolution of these lesions. Our study was the first to report immunophenotypic profile of the bilharzial grnauloms

Quantitative comparison of infected schistotomiasis mansoni and haematobium: animal model analysis of the granuloma cell population

To evaluate the hypothesis that the granuloma cell population in S. haematobium is different from that of S. mansoni infections, a hamster animal model was established. Infection of hamesters was induced by abdominal skin exposure of male golden hamsters with 300 cercariae. S. haematobium granuloma cell population in the small intestine, urinary bladder, liver and spleen and those of S. mansoni granuloma in the small intestine and liver of infected hamsters were histologically examined between 6 and 12 weeks post-exposure. In both species, the granuloma cell population was fomed of lymphocytes [47%], histiocytes [28%], eosinophils [16%] and polymorphs [8%]. As compared to granuloma cell population in S. haematobium; S. mansoni granulomas had: [a] higher population of eosinophils [28% vs. 11%], [b] lower population of polymorphs [4% vs. 10%] and histiocytes [22% vs. 31%] and [c] similar population of lymphocytes [46% vs. 47%].The mean diameter of liver granuloma was higher in S. mansoni [175.8 +/- 12.34] than for S. haematobium [125.4 +/- 16.12]. As compared to S. haematobium, the numbers of isolated male, female and total worms were significantly higher in S. mansoni [24.5 +/- 2.7 vs. 7.3 +/- 2.3; 6.3 +/- 0.8 vs. 2.2 +/- 0.5; 80 +/- 2.2 vs. 56.3 +/- 3.8, p < 0.05]. The heterogeneity of cell population in granuloma suggests the involvement of different immune mechanisms in their development. The cells achieving numerical dominance in the granulomas were in the following order: lymphoyctes > monocytes > eosinophils > polymorphs. The difference in the granuloma cell population between S. haematobium and S. mansoni may reflect different tissue reactions to the deposited ova