The effect of a low protein diet and a glucose and filter paper diet on the course of infection ofNippostrongylus brasiliensis

Abstract

Rats were fed on two deficient diets and were infected with N. brasiliensis larvae. They were autopsied at times ranging from 18 hours to 17 days after infection. The effect of the diets on worm burden, sex ratio of the worms and size of larvae and of worms were noted. Significantly more larvae reached the lungs and intestine in rats fed on glucose and filter paper (G.F.P.) and low protein (L.P.) diets than in controls, the highest numbers coming from G.F.P. rats. Neither the migration rate nor the development of the worms was accelerated by the deficient diets. G.F.P. and control rats lost larvae soon after their arrival in the intestine. Adult worms were lost from rats on the deficient diets before they were lost in significant numbers by controls; this was not due to the initially larger worm burdens in the former rats. G.F.P. and control rats lost the bulk of their infections by 17 days; L.P. rats retained about 50% of the worm burden they had on the fourth day. The effect of the deficient diets on the migratory and adult phase of N. brasiliensis, and on susceptibility and resistance is discussed.This work was done during the tenure of a Science Research Council Studentship. My thanks are due to Dr E. T. B. Francis for his helpful and critical supervision, and to Professor I. Chester Jones, in whose Department the work was carried out, for the facilities he provided.

Resource limitation alters the consequences of co-infection for both hosts and parasites

“…Protein supplementation is often associated with higher levels of eosinophils and other immune mediators (Coop and Kyriazakis, 2001;Koski and Scott, 2001). Despite the positive effects of protein limitation on adult survival and egg shedding in several single infection studies of both N. brasiliensis (Clarke, 1968;Jones et al, 2009), and H. p. bakeri (Boulay et al, 1998;Ing et al, 2000;Tu et al, 2007), the effects of protein limitation on eosinophils were less consistent across previous mouse experiments. For example, many studies detected no difference in eosinophils among treatments with differing protein content (Ing et al, 2000;Tu et al, 2007;Jones et al, 2009), while others found that eosinophil levels were highest at an intermediate protein level (7% protein) compared with low (3%) and high (24%) protein treatments (Boulay et al, 1998).…”

Effect of Deficient Diets on Corticosteroid Synthesis by Rat Adrenals in Vitro and Its Relationship to Infections With Nippostrongylus Brasiliensis

“…A more detailed study of the effect of deficient diets on the course of N. brasiliensis (Travassos, 1914) infections has been reported elsewhere; the reasons for the earlier elimination of the parasites by rats on these diets has been discussed in the same paper (Clarke, 1968). …”

Scanning electron microscope studies of the small intestine of rats maintained on a low protein diet and infected with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis

“…All these studies, however, have been carried out using adequately nourished, healthy rats as hosts. Evidence is accumulating of the synergistic effect of malnutrition and infection (Scrimshaw, Taylor & Gordon, 1968) and, although much of this work has been related to bacterial infections, experiments by Wells (1962), Clarke (1968) and Bolin, Davis, Cummins, Duncombe & Kelly (1977) have indicated that the rejection of N. brasiliensis is impaired in protein-malnourished rats. In addition Bonn et al (1977) made a preliminary examination of the intestine and observed that partial villus atrophy was evident up to day 28 of the infection when the experiment was terminated.…”