High fat diet has a prominent effect upon the course of chronic schistosomiasis mansoni in mice

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 2009-07, Vol.104 (4), p.608-613
• Main Authors: Alencar, Alba Cristina Miranda de Barros, Neves, Renata Heisler, Águila, Márcia Barbosa, Mandarim-de-Lacerda, Carlos Alberto, Gomes, Delir Corrêa, Machado-Silva, José Roberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; Animals; Body Mass Index; cholesterol; Cholesterol - blood; Chronic Disease; chronic phase; Dietary Fats - adverse effects; Dietary Fats - blood; Dietary Fats - metabolism; Feces - parasitology; Female; Mice; Parasite Egg Count; PARASITOLOGY; Schistosoma mansoni; Schistosoma mansoni - cholesterol - chronic phase; Schistosomiasis mansoni - blood; Schistosomiasis mansoni - metabolism; TROPICAL MEDICINE
• ISSN: 1678-8060; 0074-0276; 1678-8060; 0074-0276
• DOI: 10.1590/S0074-02762009000400013

This study investigated whether a long-term high-fat diet has an effect on the outcome of chronic murine schistosomiasis mansoni compared to a standard diet. Swiss Webster female mice (3 weeks old) were fed each diet for up to six months and were then infected with 50 Schistosoma mansoni cercariae. Their nutritional status was assessed by monitoring total serum cholesterol and body mass. Infected mice were examined 6-17 weeks post infection to estimate the number of eggs in faeces. Mice were euthanised the next day. Total serum cholesterol was lower in infected mice in comparison to uninfected controls (p = 0.0055). In contrast, body mass (p = 0.003), liver volume (p = 0.0405), spleen volume (p = 0.0124), lung volume (p = 0.0033) and faecal (p = 0.0064) and tissue egg density (p = 0.0002) were significantly higher for infected mice fed a high-fat diet. From these findings, it is suggested that a high-fat diet has a prominent effect on the course of chronic schistosomiasis mansoni in mice.