Schistosoma mansoni: comparative evaluation of different routes of experimental infection

Abstract

SUMMARYExperiments were carried out with Sw albino mice and it was concluded that the percutaneous route via abdominal skin was significatively more efficient than tail immersion method and subcutaneous infection; the subcutaneous injection was significatively more efficient than the percutaneous infection through the tail; this latter and the intraperitoneal injection, resulted in similar infections, but were significatively less efficient than the others. Significative difference was also observed in the comparison between the subcutaneous route and percutaneous infection through ear pinna. The influence of the site of skin infection by percutaneous route was also discussed.

Reappraisal of experimental infections with cercariae and schistosomula of a brazilian strain of Schistosoma mansoni in mice

“…The present data confirm the results obtained through the injection of cercariae and schistosomula (Holanda et al, 1974) and those obtained from the comparative evaluation of the different experimental S. mansoni infection routes (Tendler et al, 1985).…”

“…The present results were analyzed together with those obtained by Holanda et al (1974) and Tendler et al (1985) from the infection of unprimed mice with schistosomula and cercariae of S. mansoni, respectively, with the same mice (SW) and cercariae (LE) strains utilized herein.…”

“…In SW mice infected subcutaneously with S. mansoni cercariae, about 70% of the larval forms are destroyed before reaching maturity as adult worms (Holanda et al, 1974, Tendler et al, 1985. Data on the attrition of larval S. mansoni in mice and other suitable hosts have been widely reported.…”

“…Those two earlier experiments provide important information about the patterns of infection of S. mansoni by endovenous, subcutaneous and percutaneous routes. Nevertheless, Holanda et al (1974) did not investigate infection with cercariae by the percutaneous route, nor were schistosomula administered to the mice by Tendler et al, (1985). Those earlier results showed that the routes of infection used by both Holanda et al, (1974) and Tendler et al (1985) presented constant patterns of worm recovery insofar as the inoculation of either cercariae or schistosomula, and abdominal percutaneous infection of SW mice with LE cercariae is concerned.…”

“…The patterns of infection and migration of S. mansoni by different routes in mice and other permissive hosts often refer to either naive or vaccinated animals, since this parameter must be taken into account to properly evaluate different biological assays in experimental schistosomiasis. In Brazil, reports considering this aspect are those of Holanda et al (1974), Tendler et al (1985), Pinto et al (1987Pinto et al ( , 1990Pinto et al ( , 1994, in which different routes of infection with S. mansoni and migration patterns are discussed.…”