Prevalence of Parasitic Infections in Surgically Removed Appendices: Parasitological and Histopathological Studies.

Intestinal parasites may cause symptoms similar to acute appendicitis. Moreover, the diagnosis of parasitic infections is only done by post-operative histopathological examination of the appendices. Therefore, our aims are to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among patients who were be appendectomized at Tanta Hospitals, Egypt and to investigate the possible association between these parasitic infections and appendicitis. To achieve these objectives, we performed a cross-sectional study including 65 patients chosen randomly who had undergone appendectomy over a period of one year from Oct 2015 to Oct 2016. Demographic data were retrieved. Complete blood picture was done. Moreover, appendiceal faecolith were examined macroscopically then by direct smear examination, formol-ether concentration technique, modified Ziehl-Nelseen stain and rapid immunochromatographic test. Histopathological examination of resected appendices was done. We found that parasitic infections were detected in 24.6 % of examined cases. Most of parasitic infections were prevalent in patients belonging to the school age group. Different parasitic infections were detected in the faecolith specimens. Moreover, Enterobious vermicularis adult female and Schistosoma mansoni granuloma were detected in histopathological sections. Also, a spectrum of pathological changes in the appendices was found ranging from lymphoid hyperplasia to acute inflammation with peritonitis. In conclusion, intestinal parasites may cause clinical picture similar to that of acute appendicitis. Therefore, careful attention to clinical history, stool examination and high eosinophilia may aid diagnosis and avoid unnecessary appendectomy. Moreover, the presence of different parasitic stages in the narrow lumen of the appendix may have a role in the development of appendicitis and this needs further studies.

Hypothalamic origin of reproductive failure in chronic experimental toxoplasmosis.

Laboratory bred female mice were used to study the effect of chronic toxoplasmosis on reproductive performance. The animals were infected with small dose (3 x 10(3)) tachyzoites of Toxoplasma parasites. The female mice were mixed with normal males for one week, then separated to monitor their reproductive performance one and two months post infection (p.i). Mice bred one month p.i. showed reproductive failure with one of twenty females delivered two sick newborns. The others did not complete pregnancy and faetal wastage occurred. Mice bred two months p.i. were infertile. Histopathological examination of the ovaries revealed impaired folliculogenesis and atropic degeneration. Coronal sections of cerebrum showed widespread vasculitis, focal disruption of the ependymal cells lining both the lateral and third ventricles. The supraoptic and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei were deformed and showed pyknotic neurons. Immunoperoxidase staining was used to detect IgG and IgM deposits in brain tissue. IgG deposits were found on the vicinity of Toxoplasma cysts and focally in the paraventricular zone. So, the reproductive failure of infected mice was due to hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism secondary to hypothalamic dysfunction as a result of chronic toxoplasmosis.

Morphometric and histochemical study of the adrenal cortex in experimental schistosomiasis mansoni.

In this study, 45 mice were used, 30 mice of them were injected subcutaneously with 80-100 schistosoma mansoni cercariae and 15 mice remained uninfected and served as a control group. Infected mice were killed at 8 and 12 weeks post-infection while control mice were killed at one time. Paraffin sections were made from adrenal cortex and liver. The thickness and cellularity of zonae glomerulosa and fasciculata as well as the serum cortisol level were determined. In the infected group of mice, the zona glomerulosa and fasciculata increased in the thickness and cellularity and the serum cortisol level increased with the progression of infection as compared with the control uninfected group. Bilharzial liver granulomas were profound in the infected group at 12 weeks post-infection which coincided with the time of suprarenal hyperactivity.

Experimental trichinosis in alloxan induced diabetes in mice.

The course of Trichinella spiralis infection was studied in Alloxan induced diabetes in mice. The number of Trichinella larvae in muscles of infected animals was estimated by digestion of whole carcases and compared with control non diabetic group. Histopathological study of infected muscles was also done. It was found that diabetic mice developed very heavy muscle parasitism and their larval count was high compared with non diabetic animals. Besides, there was heavy inflammatory cellular reaction around poorly encapsulated larvae. Mortality rate was 100% by day 45 in diabetic mice while control animals survived during the period of observation which was 3 months. These data indicated that hyperglycaemia significantly increased parasitisaemia and mortality in mice infected with T. spiralis.