title: Ultrastructural alterations in adult Schistosoma mansoni, harbored in non-antihelminthic treated and low-inflammatory mice by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
abstract: This original study suggests that alterations observed on tegumental structure and egg quality of adult Schistosoma mansoni harvested from TS mice are due to their high immune tolerogenic and low-inflammatory capacity. The tegument of worms harvested from genetically selected mice for extreme phenotypes of immune oral tolerance, resistance (TR) and susceptibility (TS) were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Parasites recovered from TR mice showed no tegumental morphological changes. However, specimens collected from TS mice exhibited tubercle swelling with blunted and shortened spines in lower density. These tegumental alterations were similar to those described with artemether or praziquantel treatment, but without to affecting the worm surveillance, supporting observations that the host immune system influences the development and function of the tegument of worms harbored in non-antihelminthic treated TS mice. TS mice showed a higher percentage of dead eggs and a lower percentage of immature eggs than TR mice, but had similar quantities of collected eggs. This suggests that in TS mice the alterations in adult worm tegument prevented egg development, but not egg production or worm survival. These results corroborate our previous scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study indicating the influence of the host immune regulatory profile on the development and function of the worm's reproductive system and tegument.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunobiologia, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), 20550-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Departamento de Imunobiologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), 24000-000 Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: liz@vm.uff.br.
authors.forename: Aurelizia Maria Lemos
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunobiologia, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), 20550-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: tavares.uerj@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural (LBE), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), 21040-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Erick Vaz
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunobiologia, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), 20550-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Sarro-Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunobiologia, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), 20550-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Carlos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Inovações em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos (LITEB), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), 21040-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Henrique Almeida
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: de Moraes Neto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000077549:Artemether; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000494:pharmacology; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D037621:Artemisinins; D011223:Praziquantel; D000077549:Artemether
keywords: Immune response; Oral tolerance; Schistosoma mansoni; Tegument; Transmission electron microscopy (TEM); Ultrastructure