Heavy metal contamination is a major environmental issue that affects the ecology of ecosystems and, consequently, health of live beings. Heavy metals occur through natural sources and anthropogenic emissions of industrial and agricultural origins.The common rat tapeworm (Hymenolepis diminuta, Cestoda, Platyhelminthes) is a common parasite of rodents (including laboratory rodents) but it is known to infect humans as well. For this reason, there is an idea that experimental infection with H. diminuta may serve as a promising model for helminth therapy of human immunemediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) because the cestode establishes long-term, stable colonization in hosts and modulates the immune system without causing bacterial dysbiosis (Kosik-Bogacka
Summary
Tapeworms parasitize at sites that are important for the management of micronutrients, including zinc. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that tapeworms will significantly affect the excretion of zinc in the feces of a host. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects that tapeworms have on the excretion of zinc in the feces of the host. Rats were divided into 4 groups: groups 0T and MT (infected with Hymenolepis diminuta (Rudolphi, 1819)) and groups 00 and M0 (uninfected). The experimental groups (M0 and MT) were fed a standard rodent compound feed (ST-1) with added zinc lactate; the daily zinc intake was 20.5 mg. The control groups (00 and 0T) were fed only ST-1 with 1.75 mg of added Zn per day. For six weeks, the amount of consumed feed was recorded and fecal samples were taken. The samples were then analyzed by optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and levels of excreted zinc were subsequently calculated as a percentage. The most signifi cant difference in zinc excretion levels between the experimental groups was observed in the third week, when rats infected with tapeworms (MT) excreted substantially lower levels of zinc than did uninfected rats (M0). This difference amounted to 28.36 % (p <0.01). In the control groups, tapeworms affected the excretion of zinc in the feces to a lesser extent, and the most substantial difference in zinc levels was seen in the fifth week (8.46 %). However, there was no signifi cant difference in zinc excretion levels between the control groups during any of the monitored weeks. Tapeworms in the host affect levels of zinc excreted in the feces. However, this is dependent on the amount or form of zinc ingested.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.