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Do schistosomes grow old? A confocal laser scanning microscopy study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2009

J.R. Machado-Silva ,
R.H. Neves  and
R. Rodrigues-Silva
J.R. Machado-Silva*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Hemintologia Romero Lascasas Porto, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Prof. Manoel de Abreu, 444, 5° andar, 20511- 070Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
R.H. Neves
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Helmintos Parasitos de Vertebrados, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Av Brasil 4365, Manguinhos21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
R. Rodrigues-Silva
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Helmintos Parasitos de Vertebrados, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Av Brasil 4365, Manguinhos21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
*
*E-mail: machado@uerj.br
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Abstract

Infected hosts progressively decrease egg output during the chronic phase of Schistosoma mansoni infection. Ageing may be a factor that results in a progressive decrease in the ability to reproduce. This study was performed to gain insight into the effects of ageing on adult schistosomes, using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Adult worms were recovered from experimentally infected Nectomys squamipes (water rat). Viable eggs were voided in the faeces for 65 weeks and, thereafter, only unviable eggs were eliminated. The rat died after 70 weeks in captivity. Recovered worms (six males and one female) were prepared for confocal microscopy and images were obtained with an LSM 510–ZETA laser confocal microscope. The overall morphology of the adult worms (suckers and tegument) and reproductive organs were the focus of this work. The suckers, ovary, vitellaria and oocytes appeared to be apparently normal. The ootype was formed by flattened cells and unclear nuclei, suggesting that the mechanism for eggshell production by the ootype during organogenesis might have been impaired. Testicular lobes showed empty areas around the germinative cells. Male adult worms showed flaccid musculature of the dorsal surface. Taken together, the present results provided several indications of infertility in older male and female schistosomes.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 84 , Issue 3 , September 2010 , pp. 305 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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