The immune correlate of host resistance induced by reinfection of Trichinella spiralis remains unclear. In this study, we investigated immune correlates between the resistance and serum IgG antibody level, CD23+ IgM+ B cells, and eosinophil responses induced by T. spiralis reinfection. Mice were primarily infected with 10 or 100 T. spiralis larvae (10 TS, 100 TS), respectively, and after 4 week...

From a study of strongyloides infections in man and animals in this region, it has been determined, in confirmation of the view of Grassi, Calmette, and others, that they are not causative factors in the production of diarrhea. The mother worm, however, burrows into the mucosa and deposits her ova there. Certain tissue reactions take place and are evidenced by the cellular proliferation in thos...

Rapid movement is challenging for elongate, soft-bodied animals with short or no legs. Leaping is known for only a few animals with this "worm-like" morphology. Wheel locomotion, in which the animal's entire body rolls forward along a central axis, has been reported for only a handful of animals worldwide. Here we present the first documented case of wind-powered wheel locomotion, in larvae of ...

Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease) is a water-borne parasitic infection that is intimately tied to the environment and to human behavior. The campaign to eradicate this disease lasted nearly 30 years and provides many lessons that may be adapted for attacking other problems successfully, particularly where change in human habits is required in order to mitigate or interrupt transmission. The ...

BACKGROUND Gnathostoma spinigerum causes larva migran in human which is endemic in Southeast Asia. Information regarding larva migration is limited. In this study, we investigated the parasite migration by recovery of worms from the whole body of mouse after oral infection with advanced third stage larvae (AL3). The percentage of blood eosinophils was examined in parallel. METHODS Mice were o...

Rats were immunized with a Trichinella spiralis infection restricted by chemotherapy to the intestine (the T/M regime) or with a complete infection that resulted in the deposition of muscle larvae. After an oral challenge infection, rapid expulsion could be demonstrated in both groups within 20 min and with 100% recovery of the infectious dose from the stomachs and intestines of infected animal...

The nutritional basis of breakdown of immunity to parasites may be addressed in a rodent model. We hypothesized that lactating rats would show a breakdown of immunity to Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, and that this breakdown of immunity would be sensitive to protein supply. Rats were immunized with 1600 infective N. brasiliensis larvae and subsequently mated. During lactation, these rats were of...

BACKGROUND The reciprocal antagonism of T-helper-1 (Th-1) and Th-2 type immune responses suggests that helminth parasitic infection may ameliorate disease where a Th-1 type response dominates. The Mongolian gerbil has been useful in the investigation of the pathogenesis of gastric cancer, since long-term infection of gerbils with Helicobacter pylori induces adenocarcinoma. In this study the kin...

Members of the genus Trichinella are small nematodes that can infect a wide range of animal hosts. However, their infectivity varies depending on the parasite and host species combination. In this study, we examined the susceptibility of 4 species of laboratory rodents, i.e., mice, rats, hamsters, and gerbils to Trichinella papuae, an emerging non-encapsulated Trichinella species. Trichinella s...