Morphological, Molecular, and Pathological Appraisal ofHymenolepis nana(Hymenolepididae) Infecting Laboratory Mice (Mus musculus)

Abstract

Hymenolepis nana, typically a parasite found in conventionally established mouse colonies, has zoonotic potential characterized by autoinfection and direct life cycle. The objective of this study was to determine the rate of parasite infection in laboratory mice. The hymenolepidide cestode infected 40% of the 50 mice sampled. The rate of infection in males (52%) was higher than in females (28%). Morphological studies on the cestode parasite showed that worms had a globular scolex with four suckers, a retractable rostellum with 20–30 hooks, and a short unsegmented neck. In addition, the remaining strobila consisted of immature, mature, and gravid proglottids, irregularly alternating genital pores, lobulated ovaries, postovarian vitelline glands, and uteri with up to 200 eggs in their gravid proglottids. The parasite taxonomy was confirmed by using molecular characterization based on the sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (mtCOX1) gene. The parasite recovered was up to 80% identical to other species in GenBank. High blast scores and low divergence were noted between the isolated parasite and previously described H. nana (gb| AP017666.1). The phylogenetic analysis using the COX1 sequence places this hymenolepidid species of the order Cyclophyllidea.

Potential role of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles from Aaronsohnia factorovskyi on Hymenolepis nana in BALB/c mice

“…In the present study, the intestinal tissue showed abnormal architecture after the infection with H. nana, which agreed with the previous report by Mohammed and Sulaiman (2014) and Al-Olayan et al (2020) reported severe damage for the intestinal tissue upon infection. Moreover, treatment with AF and AF-NPs against H. nana has eliminated the infection while protecting the jejunum from parasite-induced injury, whereas the intestinal tissue of post-treated mice with PZQ revealed an improvement in the tissue except for the presence of ulcers this presents similar findings to Chiamah et al (2019).…”

“…It is known to infect both human beings and rodents (Shirvan et al, 2016). The infection occurs directly from the ingestion of contaminated food and water with H. nana eggs (Al-Olayan et al, 2020). Infections might cause a variety of symptoms such as irritability, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, diarrhea and even dizziness (Lin et al, 2014).…”

Sex—the most underappreciated variable in research: insights from helminth-infected hosts

“…M < F Mus musculus [151] Ascaris spp. M > F Homo sapiens [150] Hymenolepis nana M > F Mus musculus, Homo sapiens [152,153] Toxocara spp. NDCanis lupus familiaris, Canis lupus, Vulpes [154] Ancylostoma spp.…”

Hymenolepiasis

“…The second one is also known as the rat tapeworm and the adults measure 20 to 60 cm in length (Fig. 1,2) (Al-Olayan et al 2020). The scolex of H. nana bears a retractable rostellum, armed with a single circle of 20 to 30 hooks (Fig.…”