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...

ELISA can be used to measure produced antibodies or Trichinella spp. antigens in the samples. They are detected with antibodies linked to an enzyme that reacts with a substrate and generate a colour reaction. The optical density (OD) of the reaction is measured spectrophotometrically. ELISA assays can be done in several different procedures called "direct", "indirect", "sa ndwich", and "competi...

In the early intestinal stage of infection with the nematode Trichinella spiralis alterations in gut motility and chemical code of enteric neurons are observed. The present study was designed to characterize the changes in expression pattern of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), substance P (SP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in enteric nerves of the rabbit jejunum occurring during long-lasting...

Immune responses associated with intestinal nematode infections are characterized by the activation of T-helper 2 (Th2) cells. Previous studies demonstrated that during Trichinella spiralis infection, Th2 cells contribute to the development of intestinal muscle hypercontractility and to worm eviction from the gut, in part through signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 6 (Stat6)...

The effects of cyclosporin A (CsA), a potent immunosuppressive drug with antiparasitic activity, on the innate immunological response in guinea pig lungs during an early period (6th and 14th days) after T. spiralis infection were studied. CsA treatment of T. spiralis-infected guinea pigs caused a significant attenuation of immunological response in lungs by decreasing lymphocyte infiltration in...

Purified phlorotannin extracts from four brown seaweeds (Cystoseira nodicaulis (Withering) M. Roberts, Cystoseira tamariscifolia (Hudson) Papenfuss, Cystoseira usneoides (Linnaeus) M. Roberts and Fucus spiralis Linnaeus), were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn. Fucophloroethol, fucodiphloroethol, fucotriphloroethol, 7-phloroeckol, phlorofucofuroeckol and bieckol/dieckol were identified. The ant...

Trichinellosis is a helminthic infection where different species of Trichinella nematodes are the causative agents. Several molecular assays have been designed to aid diagnostics of trichinellosis. These assays are mostly complex and expensive. The genomes of Trichinella species contain certain parasite-specific genes, which can be detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. We selecte...