hamster as an animal model to study nephropathy secondary to schistosoma mansoni infection

ABSTRACT

Sera and urine samples from control and S. mansoni infected hamsters were tested to assess kidney functions. Hamsters were infected with different doses of cercariae. Sera and urine samples were collected after different infection periods. A nonlethal dose, 50 cercariae, is enough to express kidney disease. The disease become biochemically detected after 6 weeks post infection. Significant proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia were observed in schistosome infected animals but not in controls. A significant hyperglobulinaemia with concomitant reduction in A/G ratio was also noticed. Correlations between these changes and both duration and load of schistosome infection were significant. We conclude that S. mansoni infection causes nephropathy in the golden hamster. Proteinuria level is a simple not invasive measure to indicate kidney disease secondary to S. mansoni infection in hamsters