title: Magnetic resonance imaging and immunoblot analyses in rats with experimentally induced cerebral alveolar echinococcosis.
abstract: The early stage of experimentally induced secondary cerebral alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in rats was investigated by use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and immunoblot (western blot) analyses. Thirty-six female Wistar rats (6 to 8 weeks old) were injected intracranially with a 10% homogenate of echinococcal larval tissues in which the concentrations of microvesicles and protoscolices were estimated to be 3.8 and 1.5 x 10(4)/ml, respectively. To observe the fine structure of the rat brain, MRI was performed under a high magnetic field of 7.05 T. Histologic examination also was performed. The T2-weighted MR images revealed a hyperintense region in the cerebral cortex at two weeks after injection of the homogenate. At three weeks after injection, this region was found to have cysts on the basis of results of histologic examination. Signal-void regions corresponding to hyperplasia and the subsequent calcification of the cuticle layer at six and 13 weeks after injection, respectively, were observed in T2-weighted and proton density MR images. On the other hand, at nine weeks after injection, AE was discernible by use of western blot analysis of sera with antibodies of two epitopes (Em18 and Em16) of E. multilocularis. Using this secondary cerebral AE animal model, it was concluded that the MRI method was suitable for early detection of secondary cerebral AE.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Biology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
authors.forename: Taketoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asanuma
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takiguchi
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Inanami
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakaya
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Mikinori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuwabara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000097:blood; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D004446:Echinococcus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth