Egyptian journal of bilharziasis最新文献

The histological picture of the ventricle of frog's heart exposed to the action of Hycanthone in Ringer's solution in concentration of 1:1 was compared with that of the ventricle of frog's heart exposed to Ringer's solution devoid of the drug and with that of frog's heart exposed to Ringer's solution containing Hycanthone in concentration of 1:1 in addition to a soluble sodium salt of prednisolone hemisuccinate in concentration 1:1. It was found that the structure of the ventricle of the heart exposed to the action of Hycanthone in the presence of the soluble sodium salt of prednisolone hemisuccinate was close in pattern to the structure of the ventricle of the heart exposed to Ringer's solution alone, while the ventricle of the heart exposed to Hycanthone alone in Ringer's solution in concentration of 1:1 was different in that the muscle fibres swollen, the cytoplasm was paler with less marked striations, the nuclei were swollen and paler, the epicardial cells were swollen and the connective tissue pattern was distorted. This denoted that the morphological changes that occurred in response to Hycanthone in the presence of the soluble sodium salt of prednisolone hemisuccinate was less marked than those which occurred in its absence.

The scanning electron microscope was employed to observe the hinge region and excretory canal of the cercaria of Schistosoma haematobium.

Ova of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni were studied with the scanning electron microscope. Observations on the microsculpture, the excretory groove on the spine, and the mode of miracidial hatching are discussed.

Bilharcid inhibited citrate oxidation and the inhibition was decreased by time. The inhibition is not restored or reduced by increasing citrate concentration. NAD stimulated citrate oxidation in the presence of Bilharcid. Cysteine slightly stimulated citrate oxidation, while ATP had no effect. Addition of citrate before Bilharcid protected the enzyme against the inhibitory action of the drug.

Circulating bilharzial antigens were demonstrated in 39% out of 87 bilharzial patients via the IHA and CF techniques using hyperimmune rabbit anti - S.mansoni worm serum. Correlation between the percentage of positive cases and the age, duration of infection, clinical presentation, type of bilharzial infection, chemotherapeutic effect and the intradermal test (I.D.T.) were made. The percentage of positive cases was found to increase with age and with the duration of infection. More positivity was encountered in hepatosplenomegalic and in S.mansoni-infected cases. Most of the I.D positive cases were also IHA positive, but still some I.D. negative cases were IHA positive. Specific chemotherapy resulted in rise in the number of IHA positive cases which was followed by gradual fall in teh next six months until they became negative. On the other hand, using the CF technique, all cases turned negative after treatment with no phase of augmentation. However, antigenaemia reappeared in few cases. These cases relapsed later. Comparing the results of IHA and CF indicates that each test may be detecting a different group of antigens.

Inspite of the fact that the haemodynamic changes in the right ventricle in schistosomal disease received proper attention, left ventricular changes were not equally assessed. That the left ventricle could suffer in bilharzial disease is a possibility, probably due to the development of shunts and toxic myocarditis. In this wor5, left ventricular functions were studied using the rate of maximum rise of intraventricular pressure (kp/dt) as an index of contractility. The study included 10 normal controls, 5 cases with bilharzial liver fibrosis and no ascites or cor pulmonale, 10 cases with BLF, and ascites but no cor pulmonale, and 10 cases with bilharzial cor pulmonale. Diminished dp/dt values were obtained in 8 out of the 10 cases of bilharzial cor pulmonale, in whom the left ventricular pressure curve also showed distortion and delay in the descending limb of the isometric relaxation phase, denoting defective contractility of the left ventricle, and probably a diastolic volume overload in these cases. In BLF with or without ascites, the dp/dt values were surprisingly increased possibly due to increased catecholamines in these cases secondary to ineffective destruction in the liver suffering from parenchymatous disease. The left ventricle is thus shown to suffer in bilharzial disease particularly in cases with bilharzial cor pulmonale.

The effect of Piperazine diantimonyl tartrate (Bilharcid) as compared with that of tartar emetic on Schistosoma mansoni has been studied. In vitro experiments on living worms in tyrode/serum cultures have proved that Bilharcid 5-10 gamma/ml has the same antibilharzial activity as tartar emetic in 5-10 gamma/ml. In vivo experiments on Schistosoma mansoni infected mice have proved also that Bilharcid has more or less the same effect as that of tartar emetic. In this study, the worm burden load and the oogram techniques were used as the criteria for antibilharzial assessment.

In the present work antigenization with somatic and metabolic antigens of adult Schistosoma mansoni worms, their cercariae or eggs has been tried. The study of the immunoglobulin patterns in infected and vaccinated non infected mice showed increase in IgG in all animals, increase in IgM only in the infected and IgA was frequently increased in mice that received metabolic or egg antigens. As regards the degree of resistance of vaccinated animals to S. mansoni infection, 2 groups gave prominent results. 1st the group vaccinated with Schistosoma mansonmetabolic worm antigen in which we got: -- Reduction in the worm load. -- Delayed ovulation and reduction in the number of ova/24 hr stools and/g of liver tissue. -- The histopathological picture of the liver was the best. 2nd the group vaccinated with egg antigen: Although it showed delayed ovulation and reduction in the ova count per 4 hr stools and/g liver tissue, yet the histopathological picture was the worst showing the largest granulomata.