Effect of behavioural stress on susceptibility of Syrian hamsters to schistosoma mansoni infection: effect on number and fertility of worm burden

ABSTRACT

The effect of pairing on the susceptibility of male Syrian hamsters to Schistosoma mansoni infection in comparison with their isolated counterparts has been studied. Pairing resulted in significant differences between paired and isolated hamsters in the measurements of eggs, miracidia, number of adult worms recovered and mean testicular number of males. Paired hamsters seemed to be immunologically suppressed and such a suppression resulted in increasing the fertility and number of worms recovered. The width of the male Schistosomes recovered from the paired hamsters was two folds and the length was four folds greater than those recovered from isolated ones. It was concluded that the stressed host reflected effects on the number and fertility of the schistosome worms burden, hence the severity of the disease and its complications