[Chronic infection due to Toxoplasma gondii inducing neuron hypertrophy of the myenteric plexus of Rattus norvegicus descending colon].
The effects of the chronic infection due to Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites on the myenteric neurons of the adult rat descending colon were assessed in this study. Ten male, 60-day-old, Wistar rats, divided into control and experimental group were orally inoculated with 105 tachyzoites from Toxoplasma gondii genotype I strain. After 30 days, the animals were anesthetized and submitted to laparotomy. The descending colon was removed, dissected, and the whole-mounts were staining by Giemsa, in order to observe neurons of the myenteric plexus, followed by quantitative and morphometric analysis. It was verified that the infection caused alterations neither with respect to the dimensions of the organ nor the neuronal population; however, there was a significant increase of the perikarion area and the cytoplasm.
Soares
Janaína
J
Universidade Paranaense - UNIPAR, Praça Mascarenhas de Moraes, 4282, CEP 87502-210 Umuarama - PR, Brasil.
Moreira
Neide M
NM
da Silva
Aristeu V
AV
Sant'Ana
Débora de M G
Dde M
Araújo
Eduardo José de A
EJ
D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003106:Colon / Q000294:innervation*; D006984:Hypertrophy; D008297:Male; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000150:complications*