Expressions of P53 and CD68 in mouse liver with Schistosoma mansoni infection and the protective role of silymarin.

Schistosomiasis is one of the major human parasitic diseases in many developing countries and is one of the causes of morbidity and mortality in the human population. The present work has been planned to study the histopathological and immunohistochemical expression of P53 and CD68 in mouse liver tissues experimentally infected with Schistosoma mansoni, in addition to the ameliorating role of silymarin. A total of 50 adult male mice were divided into 5 groups (10 animals each). Groups 1 and 2 were the control and silymarin groups, respectively, while group 3 was the infected group in which the mice were infected with S. mansoni live cercariae for 6 weeks. Groups 4 and 5 were the cotreated and posttreated groups, respectively, in which mice were infected with cercariae of S. mansoni and treated with silymarin during and after Schistosoma infection, respectively. The major histopathological lesions were variable numbers of perioval granulomas, diffuse infiltration of inflammatory cells, mainly eosinophils and small mononuclear cells, and fibrosis of portal areas and interlobular septa. Treatment with silymarin led to a significant reduction in granuloma area in all treated infected mice compared with nontreated infected mice. Immunohistochemical observations of the liver tissues showed a significant increase in the apoptotic proteins P53 and CD68 after the infection with the cercariae of Schistosoma, compared with the control group. The expression of the cytoplasmic P53 and CD68 was very low in the control liver sections. A significant decrease in the expression of the cytoplasmic P53 and CD68 was observed after silymarin treatment.

Biological studies on the blue crab Portunus pelagicus and its parasitic infection in Kuwaiti waters.

The study investigated the parasites of symbiotic fauna of the blue crab, Portunus pelagicus and the environmental factors, which was lacking in Kuwait. P. pelagicus feeding habits was studied by examination of the digestive tract. The foregut (stomach) contents of 250 crabs (110 male & 140 female) collected from fish-market, Souq-Sharq, Edelyia capital governorate were investigated. A barnacle, Balanus sp. and staked barnacle Octolasmis sp. (Crustacea: Cirripedia) were found strongly firmly to the carapace, appendages and gills of 30% male crabs and 27% female ones. Endoparasites included unidentified immature trematode stages and nematode larvae in the muscular tissues of both sexes. The main food recovered included molluscs, crustaceans, fish bones and unidentified food materials. The results were reported, photographed and critically discussed.

SEM of the Oestrus ovis larvae causing myiasis of sheep in the state of Kuwait with a review on human infection.

In the present study, the dipterous larvae Oestrus ovis collected from nasal and frontal cavities of infected sheep slaughtered at the AL-Shuwaikh abattoir, Kuwait were studied by scanning electron microscope. The taxonomic morphological details of the larvae were described and found similar to the previous descriptions of the parasite. The environmental factors affecting human infection with myiasis were discussed and a review of human infestations in Kuwait was given.

Ultrastructral studies on the tegument of Dicrocoelium dendriticum (Rudolphi, 1819) Looss 1899.

The tegument of Dicrocoelium dendriticum was studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It consists of an anucleate surface syncytium and a deeper nucleated zone. The syncytial layer covers the entire surface of the fluke. It is connected to the nucleated zone through thin cytoplasmic strands. The syncytium is bounded by an apical plasma membrane which is highly folded. This layer mainly contains abundant mitochondria of varying size and shape, and two types of granules, dumbbell shaped and spherical. Although the apical surface shows active exocytosis, no evidence for endocytosis is observed. This is the first study from the State of Kuwait showing the presence of this liver fluke in sheep imported from other countries.

Studies on helminthes infecting some local fishes in Kuwait.

A total of 37 silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus), 67 greasy grouper (Epinephelus tauvina), 52 red snapper (Lutjanus coccineus), and 56 silver croaker (Otolithes argenteus) were examined during the period form October 2001 to September 2002 for the purpose of studying the helminth parasites including Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda, Nematoda and Acanthocephala. All examined fishes were free from any species of Cestoda, Trematoda or Acanthocephala. Only P. argenteus and L. coccineus were infected with Nematoda. The relationships between the helminthic infection rates and the environmental factors were studied.