Pathogenesis of schistosomal 'pipestem' fibrosis: a low-protein diet inhibits the development of 'pipestem' fibrosis in mice

Mice maintained on a low protein diet for 30 days and then infected with Schistosoma mansoni for 16 weeks completely failed to develop ‘pipestem fibrosis’ of the liver, whereas 50% of well nourished controls did. Usually mice with relatively mild and prolonged S. mansoni infection develop two differ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of experimental pathology 1997-10, Vol.78 (5), p.337-342
Main Authors: COUTINHO, E. M., DE SOUZA, M. M., SILVA, L. M., CAVALCANTI, C. L., DE ARAUJO, R. E., BARBOSA Jr, A. A., CHEEVER, A. W., ANDRADE, Z. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Body Weight
Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage
Diseases caused by trematodes
Female
Granuloma - parasitology
Helminthic diseases
Infectious diseases
Liver - pathology
Liver Cirrhosis - parasitology
Liver Cirrhosis - prevention & control
Liver Diseases - parasitology
Male
Medical sciences
Mice
Organ Size
Original
Parasitic diseases
periovular granuloma
pipestem fibrosis
Protein Deficiency - complications
Schistosomiases
schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis mansoni - complications
Schistosomiasis mansoni - pathology
Spleen - pathology
undernutrition
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Description
Summary:Mice maintained on a low protein diet for 30 days and then infected with Schistosoma mansoni for 16 weeks completely failed to develop ‘pipestem fibrosis’ of the liver, whereas 50% of well nourished controls did. Usually mice with relatively mild and prolonged S. mansoni infection develop two different pathological pictures: one consisting of disseminated portal fibrosis caused by periovular granulomas concentrated at the portal spaces (pipestem fibrosis), the other represented by scattered hepatic granulomas. The reason for this dual response is poorly understood. Combined results from parasitological, histopathological, biochemical and morphometric data revealed that peri‐ovular granulomas of undernourished mice were smaller, inflammation was less intense and there was minimal fibrosis in comparison with those of controls, which suggest that a vigorous host response is necessary for the pathogenesis of schistosomal portal fibrosis.
ISSN:0959-9673
1365-2613
DOI:10.1046/j.1365-2613.1997.310357.x