Comparative ultrastructure of eggs in Echinostoma paraensei, E. caproni, and E. trivolvis (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae)

The 37-collar-spined echinostomes Echinostoma paraensei, E. caproni, and E. trivolvis are digeneans that live in the intestine of small mammals and birds. Comparative studies of the eggs of these species were done using light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The egg of E. caproni was the largest of the three species studied, whereas the egg of E. trivolvis was the smallest in both length and width. The SEM study showed differences in the aboperculum region of the eggs in all three species. The TEM study showed that the eggshell of all three species consisted of three layers, but no difference in eggshell structure was observed in any species.

Survival and distribution of Echinostoma caproni in the small intestine of ICR mice up to 36 hours after the death of the host

This study examined survival and distribution of Echinostoma caproni in the small intestine of ICR mice at various times up to 36 hr following the death of the host. Adult worms were obtained at 2-wk postinfection of 21 ICR mice each infected with 50 metacercarial cysts. Mice were killed with light ether anesthetization and cervical dislocation and maintained at room temperature (22 +/- 1C) until examination at 0 (controls), 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, and 36 hr postmortem. Survival was based on worm activity and distribution was assessed on the basis of worm location in 1 of 5 equal intestinal segments numbered from the pylorus to the ileocecal valve. Worms were alive up to 36 hr post-mortem and were distributed mainly in segments 3 and 4 at all times postmortem. Histochemical Oil Red O studies on whole control and experimental worms showed neutral lipids localized in the protone-phridial tubules and the excretory bladder. Eggs from experimental worms at all times produced miracidia that infected Biomphlaria glabrata snails.

Effects of Echinostoma caproni infections on metallic ions in the intestinal mucosa of ICR mice

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to study metallic ions in the intestinal mucosa of ICR mice infected with Echinostoma caproni and the mucosa of uninfected control mice. Infected mucosa (n = 9 with about 100 mg wet weight per sample) were examined at 2 weeks p.i. in mice that were infected with about 25 worms per host. Uninfected mucosa (n = 9 with about 100 mg wet weight per sample) were examined in the same time frame as the infected mucosa. Five metals were measured in the mucosa by ICP-AES analysis, as follows: calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium and zinc. There were no significant differences (Student's t-test, P > 0.05) in the concentrations of calcium, potassium or zinc in infected versus uninfected mucosa. The concentration of sodium was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in the mucosa of infected versus uninfected mucosa, but the situation was reversed in regard to magnesium.

Effects of a diet deficient in vitamins A, D, and E on infectivity, growth, and development of Echinostoma trivolvis in domestic chicks

The effects of a diet deficient in fat-soluble vitamins on infectivity, growth, and development of Echinostoma trivolvis in domestic chicks were studied. The vitamin-deficient diet (experimental) contained 21% protein, but lacked vitamins A, D, and E. The control diet was isocaloric, contained more than 18% protein, and a normal vitamin complement. There were no significant differences in chick infectivity or worm recovery at 7, 10, or 14 days postinfection (p.i.) from hosts on either diet. Likewise, there were no significant differences in chick weights at 7, 10, or 14 days p.i. in hosts maintained on either diet. However, worm weights and body and organ dimensions were significantly greater at 10 and 14 days p.i. in worms from control versus experimental hosts; worms from experimental hosts never became ovigerous. Our results support Beaver's speculation that E. trivolvis develop poorly in avian hosts lacking fat-soluble vitamins.

Comparative ultrastructure study of lamellar gastrodermal projections in Echinostoma paraensei, E. caproni, and E. trivolvis (Trematoda : Echinostomatidae)

A comparative ultrastructure study using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of ultrathin sections, freeze-fracture replication, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was conducted on the gastrodermal lamellar microvilli in adults of Echinostoma paraensei, E. caproni, and E. trivolvis. Lamellar projections observed by SEM were mainly planiform and rhomboidal or paddle-shaped, and they were commonly seen in the three species. The distal margins of these lamellae were mainly smooth in E. paraensei, whereas filiform or digitiform extensions in the margins occurred occasionally in E. caproni and frequently in E. trivolvis. Freeze-fracture TEM elucidated significant interspecific differences in the numbers of intramembranous particles (IMP) per square micrometer; the numbers of IMP were significantly lower in E. trivolvis than in either E. caproni or E. paraensei. Thus, ultrastructural differences in the gastrodermal lamellae of adult echinostomes will be a taxonomically useful criterion for distinguishing species of Echinostoma.

Effects of a protein-free diet on worm recovery, growth, and distribution of Echinostoma caproni in ICR mice

The effects of a protein-free diet on the host-parasite relationship of Echinostoma caproni in ICR mice were studied. The experimental diet was a customized protein-free diet (PFD) in pellet form containing 0% protein. The control diet consisted of a standard laboratory diet containing 23% casein as a source of protein. A total of 24 mice were each infected with 15 metacercarial cysts of E. caproni. Twelve mice were placed on the experimental diet (experimentals) and the remaining mice (controls) were placed on the control diet. Experimental and control mice were necropsied at 2, 3, and 4 weeks postinfection (p.i.). The weight of mice on the PFD was markedly lower than that of mice on the control diet. The length and circumference of the small intestine of infected mice on the PFD were significantly lower than those of the controls at 3 weeks p.i. (Student's t-test; P < 0.05). Worm recoveries from mice on the PFD were significantly lower than those of the controls at 3 weeks p.i. There was a significant decline in worm body area in worms from the mice on the PFD compared with those on the control diet at 2, 3, and 4 weeks p.i. Worm dry weights from mice on the PFD were significantly lower than those on the control diet at 2 weeks p.i. Worms from hosts on the PFD were located more posteriad in the gut than those recovered from mice on the control diet. The findings suggest that the PFD contributes to growth retardation of E. caproni in ICR mice.

Electrophoretic analysis of proteases in Echinostoma Caproni and Echinostoma trivolvis

Gelatin substrate sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyze proteases in 14 day-old adults of Echinostoma caproni and Echinostoma trivolvis. At pH 8.0, E. caproni adults showed 2 protease bands at 36 kDa and 58 kDa, whereas E. trivolvis adults showed 6 bands at 39, 64, 77, 96, 120, and 168 kDa. Each species also showed distinct protease banding patterns in their excretory/secretory (E/S) products. The E. caproni E/S proteases were at 36 and 58 kDa, whereas those of E. trivolvis were at 120 and 168 kDa. Further characterization of E. caproni adult proteases revealed 2 bands (58 and 66 kDa) with optimal activity at pH 3.0-4.5 and 3 bands (38, 61, and 96 kDa) that were most active at pH 7.0-8.0. Four low molecular weight bands (19, 21, 25, and 30 kDa) appeared when E. caproni worm extracts were incubated in the presence of CaCl2 at pH 8.0 but were inhibited with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline. Echinostoma caproni protease bands at 58 and 38 kDa in the whole worm samples and the E/S products and the 36-kDa band in the whole worm samples were inhibited with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. By showing protease differences in addition to recent work on nucleotide differences, this study helps distinguish these 2 related allopatric species of 37-collar-spined Echinostoma.

Host-parasite relationships between Echinostoma caproni and RAG-2-deficient mice

The RAG-2-deficient mouse, a strain of genetically altered mice lacking B- and T-lymphocytes, was used as a host for Echinostoma caproni. In all, 12 male RAG mice were exposed to 25 cysts each, and 12 served as uninfected controls. Mice were necropsied at 2 and 3 weeks postinfection (p.i.). The mean number+/-SE (9.7+/-2.4) of worms recovered from infected mice at 2 weeks p.i. was not significantly different from that recovered at 3 weeks p.i. (6.5+/-2.2). The intestinal circumference of infected RAG mice was significantly greater than that of the controls at 2 and 3 weeks p.i. A significant goblet cell hyperplasia occurred at 2 weeks p.i., but the response was not effective in eliminating worms from the RAG mice. The effect of a high cyst burden was examined by exposure of 8 RAG and 8 ICR mice to 100 cysts each. The body length and area and the oral sucker area of worms grown in RAG mice were significantly greater than those of worms grown in ICR mice. Worm recovery at up to 3 months p.i. was examined in RAG mice exposed to 25 cysts and necropsied every 2 weeks p.i. The mean worm recovery recorded at 2 weeks p.i. was significantly greater than that noted at 12 weeks p.i., at which time worm rejection from the RAG mouse host first occurred. The RAG mouse is a useful host for studies on E. caproni in a murine host that lacks B- and T-lymphocytes.

Effects of snail-conditioned water from Biomphalaria glabrata on hatching of Echinostoma caproni miracidia

In vitro studies were done on Echinostoma caproni eggs with fully developed miracidia to determine the effects of snail-conditioned water (SCW) from Biomphalaria glabrata on miracidial hatching in the light. Observations were made on miracidial hatching at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 h in multiwell chambers in the presence of SCW (experimentals) versus controls in artificial spring water (ASW). The number of hatched eggs was significantly greater (Student's t-test, P<0.05) in SCW at all times as compared with those maintained in ASW. Significantly greater hatching was also obtained when snails were maintained in intact or perforated dialysis sacs in multiwell chambers as compared with sacs without snails. Agar plugs impregnated with SCW or the hydrophilic fraction of SCW that had been extracted in chloroform-methanol (2:1) did not influence significant hatching. However, the lipophilic fraction of the SCW extract caused significant hatching. Substances in SCW significantly increase hatching of E. caproni miracidia, but details on what these compounds are remain obscure.

Effects of Echinostoma caproni infection on the phospholipid and sphingolipid content of the intestinal mucosa of ICR mice

High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) was used to determine phospholipids and sphingolipids in the intestinal mucosa of ICR mice infected with Echinostoma caproni for two weeks. The major phospholipids detected in both infected and non-infected mucosa were phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). HPTLC-densitometric analysis showed that there was a significant decrease in the weight of both PC and PE in the intestinal mucosa of infected mice compared to that of the uninfected controls. Cerebrosides and sulphatides, but not sphingomyelin, were identified in the intestinal mucosa of both infected and uninfected hosts. There was an apparent increase in the cerebroside content of the mucosa of infected versus control mice. The pathobiochemical changes seen in the polar lipid content of infected hosts probably reflect the feeding and behavioural activities of E. caproni in the mouse intestine.

The expulsion of Echinostoma trivolvis caused by goblet cell hyperplasia in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice

Mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), lacking functional T and B lymphocytes, were each infected with 40 Echinostoma trivolvis metacercarial cysts on day 0. The mice of the test group were given intramuscular injections of dexamethasone (DEX) daily for 2 weeks and necropsied on days 5, 8, 12, 15, 20 and 30 post-infection (p. i.). The control mice, not treated with DEX, were each infected with 40 echinostome cysts on day 0 and necropsied on the same days as the DEX-treated mice. In the control mice, worm rejection began about day 8 p. i. and the worms were completely rejected by day 15 p. i., corresponding to the peak in goblet cell hyperplasia, about day 12 p. i. In the DEX-treated mice, goblet cell hyperplasia was significantly suppressed and the worms were retained until day 15 p. i., and then rejected after the last treatment with DEX. The number of mucosal mast cells, that increased with worm infection and peaked about day 15 p. i., was apparently suppressed by treatment with DEX. The eosinophil number in the controls increased on day 15 p.i. approximately and then decreased. The eosinophil number in the DEX-treated mice increased as in the controls, but was significantly suppressed compared to that of the controls during the period of the experiment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed no marked rise in titres of the sera IgM, IgA and IgG throughout the experiment in both groups. These results indicate that DEX-treatment delayed the rejection of E. trivolvis from the small intestine of SCID mice in association with the suppression of goblet cell hyperplasia. It is concluded that the host immune system is not involved in the rejection of E. trivolvis and the effector cells for worm rejection are goblet cells that markedly increase in numbers by infection with E. trivolvis.

The immunosuppressive compound FK506 does not affect expulsion of Echinostoma trivolvis in C3H mice

C3H/HeN mice were infected with Echinostoma trivolvis metacercariae on day 0, given intramuscular injections of the immunosuppressive agent FK506 daily for 5 or 7 days, and necropsied on days 5, 8, 12, 15, 20, and 30 postinfection (p.i.). Control mice were infected with the echinostomes but were not treated with FK506. A significant reduction in mastocytosis was seen from day 12 to day 15 p.i. in the treated group. No reduction was observed in numbers of goblet cells and eosinophils in the treated group. The number of white blood cells was lower in the treated mice than in the controls. No significant difference in the optical density values of immunoglobulins appeared in control versus treated mice. Treatment with FK506 did not delay worm expulsion markedly, probably because the drug did not suppress goblet-cell hyperplasia. Increased mucus production associated with goblet-cell hyperplasia is primarily involved in the expulsion of E. trivolvis in murine hosts.

Comparative observations on cercariae and metacercariae of Echinostoma trivolvis and Echinoparyphium sp

Comparative observations were made on cercariae of Echinoparyphium sp. from Physa gyrina in Charlie's pond, Stokes County, North Carolina and cercariae of Echinostoma trivolvis from Helisoma trivolvis in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The cercaria of Echinoparyphium sp. has 43 collar spines, lacks penetration and paraesophageal glands, and has a conical tail without fin folds. The cercaria of E. trivolvis has 37 collar spines, penetration and paraesophageal glands, a finger-like process at the tip of the tail and fin folds. The length of the cercarial body and tail of E. trivolvis was significantly greater than that of Echinoparyphium sp. Cercariae of both species encysted in Biomphalaria glabrata snails in single and concurrent infections. In concurrent infections with a single cercaria of each species, 2 encysted metacercariae were adjacent to each other in the saccular kidney of the snail at 24 hr postinfection. The diameter of encysted metacercariae of E. trivolvis was significantly greater than that of Echinoparyphium sp. Echinoparyphium sp. metacercariae excysted at 39 C in an alkaline trypsin-bile salts medium used previously to excyst E. trivolvis. The length of excysted metacercariae of E. trivolvis was significantly greater than that of Echinoparyphium sp.

Thin-layer chromatography and histochemistry analyses of neutral lipids in Helisoma trivolvis infected with four species of larval trematodes

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and histochemistry studies were done on the neutral lipid content of the digestive gland gonad (DGG) complex of Helisoma trivolvis infected with four species of larval trematodes. Two of the species, Ribeiroia sp. and Zygocotyle lunata, contained rediae, and the two others, Spirorchis sp. and an armatae xiphidiocercaria, contained sporocysts. The DGG infected by each species had its own distinct neutral lipid profile as determined by TLC. All profiles differed from that of the uninfected DGG. Densitometric TLC studies showed some quantitative differences in free sterols in infected versus uninfected DGGs. Visual observations of the chromatograms showed that all four species caused a marked elevation in the triacylglycerol fraction in the DGG as compared with the uninfected controls. Oil Red O (ORO) histochemistry studies showed that levels of neutral lipids were increased in the DGGs of infected versus uninfected samples. These histochemistry studies showed a variable distribution of neutral fat, ranging from its absence in the cercariae of Z. lunata and the armatae xiphidiocercaria to ORO-positive droplets in the excretory system of Ribeiroia sp. Rediae and sporocysts contained ORO-positive material in the body wall and in the space between cercariae.

Echinostomiasis: a common but forgotten food-borne disease

Human echinostomiasis, endemic to southeast Asia and the Far East, is a food-borne, intestinal, zoonotic parasitosis attributed to at least 16 species of digenean trematodes transmitted by snails. Two separate life cycles of echinostomes, human and sylvatic, efficiently operate in endemic areas. Clinical symptoms of echinostomiasis include abdominal pain, violent watery diarrhea, and anorexia. The disease occurs focally and transmission is linked to fresh or brackish water habitats. Infections are associated with common sociocultural practices of eating raw or insufficiently cooked mollusks, fish, crustaceans, and amphibians, promiscuous defecation, and the use of night soil (human excrement collected from latrines) for fertilization of fish ponds. The prevalence of infection ranges from 44% in the Philippines to 5% in mainland China, and from 50% in northern Thailand to 9% in Korea. Although the patterns of other food-borne trematodiases have changed in Asia following changes in habits, cultural practices, health education, industrialization, and environmental alteration, human echinostomiasis remains a health problem. The disease is most prevalent in remote rural places among low-wage earners and in women of child bearing age. Echinostomiasis is aggravated by socioeconomic factors such as poverty, malnutrition, an explosively growing free-food market, a lack of supervised food inspection, poor or insufficient sanitation, other helminthiases, and declining economic conditions. Furthermore, World Health Organization control programs implemented for other food-borne helminthiases and sustained in endemic areas are not fully successful for echinostomiasis because these parasites display extremely broad specificity for the second intermediate host and are capable of completing the life cycle without involvement of the human host.

Single-species infections of Echinostoma caproni cercariae in pulmonate snails and concurrent infections of E. caproni and Echinostoma trivolvis cercariae in Biomphalaria glabrata

Single-species infections of Echinostoma caproni cercariae in various pulmonate snails showed that a higher percentage of cercariae encysted successfully in Biomphalaria glabrata than in other snail species and that the percentage encystment was significantly greater in B. glabrata than in either Helisoma trivolvis or Lymnaea elodes. There were significant differences in cyst diameter, thickness of outer and inner cysts, and diameter of excretory concretions between E. caproni and Echinostoma trivolvis metacercariae. These morphological differences helped to distinguish each species of cyst in concurrent cercarial infections of E. caproni and E. trivolvis in B. glabrata. Moreover, in concurrent infections E. trivolvis localised only in the saccular kidney, whereas E. caproni occurred in both the saccular kidney and the pericardium.

Histochemical glycogen and neutral lipid in Echinostoma trivolvis cercariae and effects of exogenous glucose on cercarial longevity

Histochemical glycogen and neutral lipid studies were conducted on Echinostoma trivolvis cercariae maintained in artificial spring water (ASW) at 24-25 degrees C for up to 24 h after emergence from host snails. Treatment of whole cercariae by the periodic acid Schiff (PAS) reagent with or without 1% malt diastase showed that cercariae depleted glycogen mainly from the tail by 6 to 24 h postemergence. The posterior tip of the tail remained PAS positive and diastase fast suggesting the presence of mucopolysaccharides there. Fresh cercariae or those stained up to 24 h postemergence with Oil Red O showed the presence of neutral lipid droplets in the excretory system. There was no discernible difference in the size, abundance, or distribution of these droplets in fresh or aged cercariae. Cercariae maintained in ASW plus 1% glucose for 12 or 23 h showed no evidence of resynthesizing glycogen. Nevertheless, cercariae survived longer in 1% glucose than in either 0.0, 0.1 or 0.5% glucose; but only at 23 h were any differences statistically greater (one way ANOVA, P < 0.05).

Maintenance of Helisoma trivolvis naturally infected with Echinostoma trivolvis in spring water at 4 degrees C for 300 days

Helisoma trivolvis (Pennsylvania strain) snails naturally infected with Echinostoma trivolvis larvae were maintained for 10 months (300 days) at 4 degrees C in artificial spring water to determine the effects of storage on parasite survival. Three of 20 snails were alive at 10 months and when isolated in spring water at 22-24 degrees C released active cercariae. The mean number of cercariae released in 2 h from each stored snail was significantly less than that from freshly collected snails. Infectivity of cercariae from stored hosts to experimentally infected, laboratory-raised Helisoma trivolvis (Colorado strain) snails was significantly less than that of cercariae from fresh hosts based on cyst recoveries in the Colorado strain of H. trivolvis within 24 h p.i. There was no significant difference in the redial number or the number of cercariae per redia in stored versus fresh snails. In conclusion, some reduction in cercarial emergence and decrease in cercarial infectivity to a second intermediate snail host occurred following storage of H. trivolvis naturally infected with E. trivolvis in ASW at 4 degrees C for 10 months.

Effect of a high protein diet on worm recovery, growth and distribution of Echinostoma caproni in ICR mice

The effects of a high protein diet on the host-parasite relationship of Echinostoma caproni in ICR mice were studied. The customized high protein diet (CHPD) contained 64% casein as a source of protein. The control diet consisted of a standard laboratory diet containing 23% casein as a source of protein. Mice were each fed 25 cysts of E. caproni by stomach tube and necropsied 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks postinfection. The weight of mice on the CHPD did not differ significantly from mice on the control diet. Worm recoveries were also unaffected by the high protein diet. There was a significant decline in worm dry weight, body area and uterine egg counts in worms from mice on the CHPD compared with those on the control diet. Worms from hosts on the CHPD were located more posteriad in the gut than those recovered from mice on the control diet. Changes in the mouse diet adversely affected E. caproni maturation and growth, possibly by altering the immediate host mucosal environment and making it less conducive to worm development.

Observations on Echinostoma revolutum and Echinostoma trivolvis in single and concurrent infections in domestic chicks

Studies were done to determine specific differences between adults of Echinostoma revolutum and Echinostoma trivolvis grown singly and concurrently in domestic chicks. Worm recovery at 10-21 days post-infection (p.i.) of E. revolutum and E. trivolvis in singly infected chicks was 21 and 17%, respectively; in concurrent infections, worm recovery for E. revolutum and E. trivolvis was 21 and 16%, respectively. The body area of E. trivolvis was 1.5-2.0 times greater than that of E. revolutum at 10-21 days p.i. Most body organ measurements of the suckers and gonads at 10, 14 and 21 days p.i. were significantly greater in E. trivolvis compared with those of E. revolutum. The mean dry weight/worm at 14 days p.i. was 2.5 mg for E. trivolvis and 1.0 mg for E. revolutum. In single infections, E. revolutum was found only in the rectum and E. trivolvis mainly in the lower ileum, and in concurrent infections worms of both species were found in the rectum. Contrary to a previous report that stated that the body size of adult worms is not a reliable taxonomic indicator between E. revolutum and E. trivolvis, the findings reported here show that body area and organ size can be used to distinguish these closely related species.

The expulsion of Echinostoma trivolvis: worm kinetics and intestinal reactions in C3H/HeN mice treated with dexamethasone

C3H/HeN mice were each infected with 40 Echinostoma trivolvis metacercarial cysts on day 0, given intramuscular injections of dexamethasone (DEX) daily for 30 days, and necropsied on days 5, 8, 12, 15, 20 and 30 p. i. Control mice were each infected with 40 echinostome cysts on day 0, but were not treated with DEX and necropsied on the same days as the DEX-treated mice. DEX treatment caused an inhibition of worm expulsion and suppressed the increase in goblet cell numbers that peaked around day 12 p. i. in the untreated control mice. Increase in the number of mucosal mast cells and eosinophils in the control mice that peaked around day 15 and 12 p. i., respectively, was also suppressed by the DEX treatment. The mean body area of the worms from the DEX-treated mice was about the same as that of the control worms on day 5 p. i., and then significantly greater than the control worms on days 8 and 12 p. i. The worms in the treated mice continued to grow until the end of the experiment, on day 30 p. i. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that serum IgM from the treated and control mice increased from day 12 p. i., peaked on day 15 p. i., and then decreased. An IgM titre of the treated mice was slightly higher than that of the controls. No marked rise in IgG and IgA titres occurred throughout the experiment in both groups.

Comparative studies on excystation and morphological features of the metacercariae of Echinostoma paraensei and E. caproni

Studies were done to determine specific differences between the metacercariae of Echinostoma paraensei and E. caproni. The percentage of excystation of E. caproni in an alkaline trypsin-bile salts medium was about 6x greater than that of E. paraensei. The body and acetabular length of excysted metacercariae of E. caproni were significantly greater (Student's t-test, P < 0.05) than those of E. paraensei. The length and width of encysted metacercariae of E. caproni were significantly greater than those of E. paraensei. The number of excretory concretions in both encysted and excysted metacercariae of E. caproni was significantly greater than that of E. paraensei. In conclusion, in vitro excystation data and morphometric light microscopic studies were useful in determining specific differences in the metacercariae of these 2 closely related allopatric species of 37-collar-spined Echinostoma.