Activity of the adrenal cortex in Trichinella pseudospiralis infection before and after administration of levamisole

During its adaptation to parasitism T. pseudospiralis appears to have acquired the ability to modulate mammalian host response to infection by directly or indirectly altering the neuroendocrine function of the host. The aim of the present work was to study the histopathological and histochemical changes that may take place in the adrenal cortex during T. pseudospiralis infection and after modulating the course of the infection by administration of an immunostimulant drug, levamisole. Two experimental groups were studied: Group I, early muscle stage [26 days p.i.], group II, late muscle stage [50 days p.i.]. Each group was further subdivided into three equal subgroups: T. pseudospiralis infected mice, infected mice receiving Levamisole on the 6th day p.i., and infected mice receiving the drug on the 14th day p.i. The adrenal cortices of T. pseudospiralis infected mice in both early and late muscle stages of infection showed hyperplasia of the zona fasiculata, increased cytoplasmic fat vacuoles associated with increased activity of alpha esterase and succinic dehydrogenase enzymes. These changes were more pronounced in infected mice which received levamisole early on the 6th day p.i

ultrastructural study of s mansoni adult worms after administration of trichinella spiralis antigen in vivo

The ultrastructure of S. mansoni adult worms recovered from. mice that received T. spiralis antigen prior to S. mansoni infection is described. Recorded changes in the tegument of the adult male S. mansoni: complex reticular network of surface pits, complete disruption in some parts, reduction in size of muscle blocks below the tegument, appearance of abundant electron dense lysosomes in the muscle layer. Recorded changes in the reproductive organs of the adult female S. mansoni; severe disorganization of the vitelline cells with coalescence of vitelline droplets, frequent glycogen deposition and appearance of large vacuoles, the oocytes showed an increase in electron density of the cytoplasm with peripheral cortical granules. Some oocytes exhibited degenerative features