El ratón de hierba del Brasil Akodon cursor Winge, 1887 es especialmente susceptible a la infección natural y experimental por Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907. Este estudio está referido a las características histopatológicas de la infección experimental por S. mansoni. Los ratones criados en laboratorio fueron infectados con 150 cercarias (cepa BH) por vía subcutánea y sacrificados nueve semanas más tarde. Las muestras de los tejidos del huésped, incluyendo el hígado, el bazo, el intestino y el páncreas se recogieron para su examen histopatológico. En esta infección aguda, la participación del tejido fue de intensidad variable, aunque granulomas exudativos predominaron en todos los tejidos observados. En la composición celular predominaron los linfocitos, macrófagos y eosinófilos y fibroblastos, según el granuloma individual y su etapa de desarrollo. Nuestros resulta...

The cystic echinococcosis, caused by Echinococcus granulosus, is endemic in southern Brazil, especially in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Recent advances in imaging technology and in immunological tests provide powerful and non-invasive tools for its diagnosis based on the identification of cysts and detection of antibodies. We analyzed the serological profile of the genus Echinococcus by immunoblot in sera from patients from southern of Brazil who had been referred to the National reference service in hydatid disease between January 2010 and July 2013. Among 160 sera samples, 16 were reactive for at least one of the proteins (10, 18, 28, and 40 kDa), indicating that the pattern of reactivity can vary among the patients.

This study was undertaken to expand the current knowledge of the morphology and morphometry of rostellar hooks of protoscoleces from the metacestode E. granulosus. Protoscoleces were isolated from livers and lungs of naturally infected ovines and bovines obtained from abattoirs in Peruvian provinces (Arequipa, Cuzco, Puno, Huancavelica and Junin). Brightfield microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, differential interference contrast and variable pressure scanning electron microscopy were used. Morphometry was made using computer image analysis. The application of these assay indicated that the large hooks frequently had thin guards and an irregular surface between the guard and handle. Data also showed that the small hooks presented rounded and stout guards. The blade did not show any relevant feature. No clear morphological distinction was observed between large and small hooks....

Museum specimens represent a valuable resource for helminthological research. We examined formalin-fixed livers preserved for periods in excess of 50 years from naturally infected pigs in archival material from the Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (CHIOC), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ). Microscopic examination revealed evidence of parasites in unilocular cystic structures containing a bladder worm vesicle lined with a thin laminated membrane. The inner germinal layer contained parasite debris and a proteinaceous hydatid-like fluid. The hepatic parenchyma showed a dense inflammatory infiltrate near the cyst, thick-walled arterial vessels, and occasionally necrosis. The adjacent hepatic parenchyma showed inter- and intra-lobular thin fibrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration and occasionally necrosis. Other histo-pathological sections showed a thick laminated wa...

Fascioliasis is an infection posing a substantial threat to public health, besides causing economic impacts due to its increasing prevalence in recent years. It is considered endemic in Peru and Bolivia and in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Studies conducted with specimens of Fasciola hepatica from different geographic regions have shown that the characteristics of the adult worms and eggs vary according to host's distribution. In this study, we evaluated whether these variations also occur in specimens obtained from cattle bred in Brazil (Cordeiro in Rio de Janeiro state and Lavras in Minas Gerais) and Argentina (Catamarca and Salta provinces), using light microscopy and light microscopy with differential interference contrast. The results demonstrated differences in the specimens from each locale, mainly in the distribution and quantity of spines in the tegument. The int...