RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study the possibility on in vitro identifying the source or kinds of cells from Schistosoma japonicum (S.j). METHODS: The cells from digested tissues of 18 days old schistosomula were smeared on slides. The adult worms of S.j were used for making paraffin sections. The cell smears and tissue sections were stained with 6 different methods of histochemical staining including Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS), Argyrophil reaction (by Grimeliu's), Picric acid-acid Fuchsin (by Van Gieson, VG), Thionin, Toluidine blue (TB) and Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining parallelly. The results were judged through inspecting the specific color of the cells on smears referring to location of corresponding staining of paraffin sections of adult worm tissues under light microscopy. RESULTS: Vitelline gland cells, mother germ cells, nerve cells, digestive epithelial cells, muscular cells and mast cells were shown clearly. The stainings of VG, PAS and Thionin demonstrated cell types coinciding to histological location. The TB staining did not find red-purple mast cell in tissue sections but one in cell smears. The Grimeliu's argyrophil reaction displayed that intestine wall of tissure sections and stained cells of cell smears were in black clearly. CONCLUSION: HE staining together with histochemical staining can reliably and rapidly distinguish the cell types of Schistosoma japonicum.