ABSTRACT
Schistosomiasis mansoni patients with acute were examined for genetic damage using the conventional cytogenetic method to assess the frequency of chromosomal aberration (CA) in the cultured blood cells. A non-significant difference was noticed in the frequency of CA between patients (acute & chronic) and control (n = 15), but on treatment of blood cultures with bleomycin (a radiomimetic agent with a DNA alkylating effect), the percentage of induced breakage and fragmentation increased significantly 2 and 3 folds in acute and chronic patients respectively, indicating increased chromosomal fragility. The incidence of rearrangement in the form of translocation increased significantly as compared to control blood cultures treated with bleomycin. The study revealed the antimitotic of schistosomiasis from significant inhibition of mitotic index. Although schistosomiasis did not show a direct clastogenic effect, it can be considered as a comutagen when there is concomitant exposure, especially chronic ones, to radiomimetic agents, schistosomiasis may amplify their cytogenetic damage.
Subject(s)
Chromosome Aberrations , Schistosoma mansoni , Schistosomiasis mansoni/genetics , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Bleomycin/pharmacology , Child , Chromosome Banding , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/ultrastructure , Male , Middle Aged , Mitotic Index , Mutagens/pharmacology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/blood , Schistosomiasis mansoni/parasitologyABSTRACT
Samples of snails were collected from different water bodies in Dakahlia governorate to assess a survey on the naturally infected snails and their infection rate with the Parastrongylus cantonensis larvae. The nematode P. cantonensis is associated in the etiology of eosinophilic meningeoencephalitis of man. Lanistes carinatus showed the highest rate of infection with 19-400 larvae per snail. Biomphalaria alexandrina, B. glabrata, Bulinus truncatus, Lymnaea cailliaudi (natalensis), L. alexandrina, and Cleopatra cyclostomoides were found naturally infected with the larvae of P. cantonensis for the first time in Egypt. The number of larvae per infected snail varied depending on the snail type. The highest rate (39.2%) of infected snails was collected from the end canals at Tanneekh and the lowest in the river Nile (12.5%).
