Schistosoma mansoni: kinetics of glomerulonephritis in Mongolian gerbils and its correlation with intensity and duration of infection

Abstract

Summary :The frequent occurrence of glomerular lesions in schistosomiasis patients has been reported, although appropriate animal models for the study of schistosomal glomerulonephritis have not been developed. To analyze the relationship between glomerulonephritis and Schistosoma mansoni infection, gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, were infected with different number of cercariae and sacrificed at different weeks of post infection. Fifty cercariae were the optimum dose to produce the disease, glomerulonephritis, without early death of the animal. Infected gerbils showed heterogeneous types of glomerular lesions with increased serum creatinine level. Immune complex deposition was not detected at glomeruli of infected gerbils even by means of immunuofluorescence and also by transmission electron microscopy. However, infiltration of mononuclear cells in and around some of the altered glomeruli was observed. Immunohistochemical staining, using monoclonal antibody (HUSM-M.g. 15) specific to gerbils T-cells, revealed significant infiltration of T-cells. These findings suggest that T-cells might be involved in the development of glomerulonephritis. Gerbil could be a useful model to clarify the role of T-cells in the development of glomerulonephritis of schistosomiasis.

Urinary Tract Pathology Attributed to Schistosoma Haematobium: Does Parasite Genetics Play a Role?

“…While a number of animal models have been developed to explore pathology caused by S. mansoni and S. japonicum, [23][24][25] developing an animal model for S. haematobium has been complicated by the fact that it is primarily an anthroponosis. The laboratory animal models created thus far have failed to duplicate the type of bladder wall pathology and kidney pathology (due to obstruction of the ureters rather than immune complexes) seen in humans.…”

In vitroandin vivotrematode models for chemotherapeutic studies

“…129/Ola and WEHI 129J mice are two examples of non-permissive hosts (Elsaghier et al 1989). Hamsters (Xiao, et al 2007), gerbils (Chisty et al 2002), rabbits (Kasilima et al 2004) or primates (Webbe et al 1981) have also been used to study S. mansoni in vivo . The rat is only a semi-permissive host (Cioli et al 1977) and therefore unlikely to be suitable for the present purpose.…”

Gerbils

“…Gerbils have been used to study all aspects of the trematode life cycle including infectivity and immunology as well as to study potential treatments. These trematodes include Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma haemotobium, Schistosoma magreboweie, Echinostoma caproni, and Opisthorcis viverinni (Adam et al, 1993;Boonmars et al, 2009;Chisty et al, 2002;Mahler et al, 1995;Ogbe, 1983;Sato and Kamiya, 2001). Gerbils are also a good host for the avian schistosome, Austrobilharzia variglandis (Bacha et al, 1982).…”