Superimposed visceral leishmanial infection aggravates response to Heligmosomoides polygyrus.

BACKGROUND: Polyparasitism is the rule in all animal species, including humans, and has an important role in pathogenicity, diagnosis and control measures. Among them, co-infections by gastrointestinal helminths and protists are very prevalent under natural conditions but experimental infections are relatively scarce. Thus, despite the frequent association of visceral Leishmania infections and intestinal helminth parasitism the experimental co-infection has not been addressed. Heligmosomoides polygyrus, an intestinal nematode of mice, is related to other helminths causing important pathologies and is a model species for immunological studies. Mice are valuable experimental model for visceral leishmaniasis. METHODS: BALB/c mice infected with H. polygyrus (200 third-stage larvae, L3) were subsequently infected seven days later with Leishmania infantum (107 promastigotes) with the aim of determining the effect of the overinfection on the host response to the primary infection with the helminth. RESULTS: Overinfection with the protist did not affect the establishment rate of the nematode but induced a higher fecal egg output. Helminth burdens in co-infected animals were significant at the end of the experiment. Early unspecific immune suppression induced by the nematode in mesenteric lymph nodes was not switched by L. infantum infection. Co-infection elicited a higher serum antibody (IgG1) response against the helminth. CONCLUSIONS: Visceral leishmanial overinfection aggravated the early host response against primary infections with the intestinal helminth. This effect was evidenced by an increased longevity and higher production of non-protective antibodies.

[Nutritional trial to evaluate calcium intake in postmenopausic women on a diet of fermented milk enriched in calcium and vitamin D (Densia®)]. / Estudio nutricional para evaluar el aporte de calcio sobre la dieta de una leche fermentada enriquecida en calcio y vitamina D (Densia®) en mujeres postmenopáusicas.

AIM: To analyse the calcium contribution of one unit of fermented milk enriched with calcium and vitamin D in the daily calcium intake for postmenoupausic women. SUBJECTS: 261 postmenoupausic women. METHODS: 28 day duration of exploratory, nutritional trial. All subjects received dietary advice on how to increase calcium intake in the daily diet and exercise recommendations with a unit of a fermented milk enriched with calcium and vitamin D (Densia®) which was consumed daily for the 28 day duration trial. A dietary assessment was used to evaluate dietary intake of calcium at the beginning and at the end of the trial. RESULTS: The average amount of calcium intake in milligrams was higher at the end of the trial versus the average intake at the beginning of the trial. The number of women who achieved the calcium recommendation intake for their ages increased at the end of the trial. CONCLUSIONS: Dietetic methods and the daily consumption of a unit of fermented milk enriched with calcium and vitamin D increases the average daily dietetic contribution of calcium. However, a percentage of the subjects still presented a daily calcium intake below the dietary recommendations, suggesting the need to adopt more intense strategies to help increase daily recommended calcium intake.