New aspects of clinical pathology and electro-physiological muscle disturbances in patients with history of trichinellosis.

Clinical studies performed in 44 patients, one, three, four, six or seven years after they had experienced trichinellosis demonstrated the persistence of various general and motor ailments in 88.7% of the patients. The persisting for many years antibodies against E/S antigen of Trichinella in 86.4% of examined patients seem to reflect chronic stimulation by the larvae which, as shown by parasitological and histopathological tests, survived longer and underwent gradual destruction in muscles. Bio-electric disturbances in muscles were most frequently of a mixed type, with prevalence of a neural type record. These observations illustrate a disturbed function of motor neurones and of impulse transmission at the myoneural junction in patients chronically infected with Trichinella.

Secondary amoebic eye infections in mice due to Acanthamoeba sp.

The aim of the present study was to determine the occurrence of eye infections accompanying the infection of the central nervous system and to demonstrate the possible tissue affinity of different strains of amoebae in subsequent infections. The results obtained demonstrate a clear correlation between the occurrence of eye infection and the degree of virulence of the strains. Amoebae isolated from eyeballs and other organs of dead mice did not exhibit any specificity in relation to the organs in subsequent infections. Irrespective of the place of isolation--be it eye or brain--in the subsequent passages, the amoebae were most often found in the brain and lungs, followed only then by the eye of the infected animals.

Histochemical study of the nitric oxide synthase activity in experimental trichinellosis.

Nitric oxide plays a critical role in a variety of biological activities. It has been nicknamed a "killer" and "mediator" due to its toxic and signalling properties. Apart from its regular physiological function, nitric oxide indirectly participates in infectious diseases. Our report seems to be the first presentation of the nitric oxide synthase participation in the host biochemical defence mechanisms and in morphological transformation of muscle cells in trichinellosis.

Extracerebral infections of Acanthamoeba spp. in mice. pathomorphological changes in tissues of infected animals.

A variety of Acanthamoeba spp. pathogenic strains were isolated from water pools in the area of Poznan. In many cases amoebae invaded lungs, kidney heart, liver and diaphragm causing significant changes in these Organs. The presence of amoeba outside of CNS was found mainly in the early periods of infection. Amoeba isolated from different organs of dead animals did not exhibit any specificity in relation to the organs in following infections. Infection with both low-and high-virulent strains resulted in pathomorphological changes of similar character. However, changes induced by low-virulent parasites developed later and were less extensive.

Trichinella spiralis: induction of the basophilic transformation of muscle cells by synchronous newborn larvae. II. Electron microscopy study.

The present ultrastructure observations apply to the same experimental groups that were investigated in the first part of the study. The results of electron microscopy investigations correspond to those obtained using light microscopy methods. The ultrastructure data demonstrated that 1-h-old sNBL (group I) penetrated into the sarcoplasm of the muscle cells and transformed it basophilically, finally creating the "nurse cell-muscle larva complex." These larvae also caused transformation of the same muscle cells without being present in the sarcoplasm. The larvae of group II (9-h-old sNBL) preserved transformation potential as well, but it was less intensive. Not all NBL settled in the muscle cells; some of them remained in the intercellular spaces. Group II larvae present in the muscle cells underwent early degeneration and necrosis more often than did group I larvae; the inflammatory cell reactions in the vicinity of the larvae were more intensive. The basophilic transformation of muscle cells that did not contain larvae in their sarcoplasm was not intensive and often stopped at the level of cell nuclei. The larvae of group III (6-day-old sNBL) neither settled in the muscle cells nor transformed the cell sarcoplasm.

Trichinella spiralis: induction of the basophilic transformation of muscle cells by synchronous newborn larvae.

Newborn larvae (NBL) possess the "transformation potential" (TP) to induce the basophilic transformation of the muscle cell into the nurse cell and to create the nurse cell-muscle larva complex. For investigation as to whether TP is age-dependent, three groups of synchronous NBL (sNBL) were obtained at 1 h, 9 h, and 6 days of age, respectively, and were injected intramuscularly into mice. The TP was demonstrated to be high for both 1- and 9-h-old sNBL, but for 6-day-old sNBL, none was found. The earliest transformation of muscle cells was observed at 48 h postinfection (p.i.) in the first two groups of sNBL. Moreover, for 1-h-old sNBL the numbers of basophilically transformed muscle cells without larvae were 3-fold those of sNBL observed in histology sections. The results indicate that (1) due to the high TP observed in the 1-h-old sNBL group, NBL are born with TP; (2) the TP is lost by aging; and (3) the induction of the basophilic transformation of muscle cells is possible without direct contact between the muscle cell and NBL being required, as contact with released factor(s) alone may be enough.

Detection of Trichinella SP. invasion and clinical appraisal of patients in the late stage of trichinellosis in a new epidemic focus in Wielkopolska.

A clinical and an epidemiological analysis was presented of a trichinellosis focus from Wielkopolska region. The studies included 20 persons and trichinellosis was diagnosed in 15 cases. The focus was characterized by asynchronous invasion with Trichinella sp. in individual affected persons in the course of a prolonged period (around 2.5 months) and by reporting of the patients to the Clinic during approximately 30 to 90 days after the disease signs/symptoms developed. Retrospective analysis and a set of specialized tests permitted to clarify causes of persisting complaints, presented by the patients, as well as to establish the diagnosis at late stages of trichinellosis.

Clinical aspects of late sequelae of trichinellosis.

Clinical analysis and the set of laboratory studies, performed in 25 patients one, two, three or six years after surviving acute period of trichinellosis, documented complaints in 22 patients (88.0%) in the form of muscle complaints (68.2%), cardiovascular complaints (45.4%), generalized weakness (40.9%) and fatigability (31.8%). No significant alterations were demonstrated in electrocardiographic records. In 71.4% examined patients lactic dehydrogenase activity was augmented. Presence of IgG antibodies against the E/S antigen of Trichinella sp. was disclosed in 24 (96%) patients, including 22 patients (88.0%), in whom high titres of the antibodies were found. Morphological studies on muscle tissue (performed in 5 patients) disclosed alterations typical of trichinellosis in 4 patients and presence of Trichinella larvae, calcified to a significant extent, in 2 patients. The long term persistence of IgG class antibodies against Trichinella antigen in patients who survived acute period of trichinellosis a few years earlier points to a chronic antigenic stimulation, probably reflecting progressive destruction of Trichinella larvae in muscle tissue. This may also be expressed in complaints reported by the patients. The problem requires further observations and clinical studies.

Histochemical investigations of the biochemical defence mechanism in experimental trichinellosis: I. peroxidase activity.

Biological reactions caused by free radicals at the molecular and cellular levels engage many different biochemical components which can be directly damaged by the oxidizing radicals and which eventually promote pathological processes. Defence mechanisms have evolved to limit the speed of production of free radical damage; they include low molecular antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes. In this study, the activity of peroxidase acting against peroxides appearing in muscle of mice at different stages of infection with Trichinella spiralis was analyzed. The presented results are part of a bigger research concerning the defence mechanisms of the host in the course of experimental trichinellosis.

Histochemical investigations of the biochemical defence mechanism in experimental trichinellosis: II. prostaglandin synthase activity.

In this paper, we report on the histochemical localization of prostaglandin synthase (E. C. 1.14.99.1) in mouse muscles following infection with Trichinella spiralis and the dynamics of their changes at different stages of disease. Our studies suggest that increased level of prostaglandin synthase activity in infected muscles of mice may be correlated with the degree of muscle injury by larvae and, perhaps, that increased level of enzyme ameliorates the functioning of muscle. The dynamics of prostaglandin synthase changes corresponds to the dynamic of the studied so far biochemical, histological and immunological indices.

Contribution of muscle cell to formation of the capsule around Trichinella spiralis larva. Ultrastructural studies.

In electron microscopic studies on structure of the capsule surrounding Trichinella spiralis larva the techniques have been employed which permit demonstration of proteoglycans and collagen fibers at various stages of their formation, i.e. fixation in tannic acid and staining reaction with ruthenium red. The muscle cell has been demonstrated to produce both collagen fibers and glycoproteins plus proteoglycans. The products formed inner part of the capsule, separated from the outer part by the basement membrane. The outer part of the capsule contained collagen fibers and matrix, synthesized by the interstitial tissue cells, by fibroblasts and vascular endothelium cells in particular.

[The role of the nucleus in the mechanism of transformation of muscle after infection by Trichinella spiralis larvae. III. Morphometric analysis of the functional transformation of the muscle cell nucleus after infection]. / Rola jadra komórki miesniowej w mechanizmie jej transformacji po zarazeniu larwami Trichinella spiralis. III. Analiza morfometryczna przemian morfologicznych i czynnosciowych jader komórek miesniowych w przebiegu zarazenia.

Morphometric investigations (using the convergence analysis method) of geometric parameters of nuclei and nucleoli of transformed muscle cells were carried in mice 15 days, 30 days and 6 month after infection with T. spiralis larvae. The analysis showed the largest increase of investigated the parameters of 15th day after the infection. The results of morphometric analysis are in agreement with the morphologic, ultrastructural and histochemical observations (published in I and II part) as for as functional changes of muscle cells in various stages of trichinellosis are concerned.

[The role of the muscle cell nucleus in the mechanism of its transformation after infection by Trichinella spiralis larvae. II. Histochemical features of the functional transformation of the muscle cell nucleus in the course of infection]. / Rola jadra komórki miesniowej w mechanizmie jej transformacji po zarazeniu larwami trichinella spiralis. II. Wykladniki histochemiczne przemian czynnosciowych jadra komórki miesniowej w przebiegu zarazenia.

The activation of muscle cell nucleus in the course of T. spiralis infection, established using morphological methods (part I), has been confirmed in histochemical (histones, RNP) and histoenzymatic (RN-aze) investigations. The activity of the cell nucleus increased from the 5th day after infection up to the complete encapsulation of the larva (30th day) however it remained at a weak stable level in later stages of infection.