Schistosomiasis in hamsters: the relationship of egg concentration in the liver to disease
Erickson, D.G.; Jones, C.E.; Tang, D.B.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 23(3): 449-463
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9637 PMID: 4823796 Document Number: 78279
The response of hamsters to infections with Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium and S. japonicum graded on the basis of e.p.g. of liver was investigated. Hamsters were exposed to varying numbers of cercariae and killed one, 3, 5, 11 or 19 weeks after eggs were first detected in the faeces. When infections of the 3 species were approximately equal in terms of number of e.p.g. of liver, the greatest alterations in body-weight, spleen weight to body-weight ratio, haematocrit, serum albumin level and albumin/globulin ratio were observed in the S. japonicum infection. In general, the host response to S. mansoni was similar to that to S. haematobium. It is concluded that the severity of schistosomiasis japonica is due to the nature of the response elicited by the S. japonicum egg rather than the greater rate of egg production.