Pages: (1-8 )
Abstract
Ascaris lumbricoides is a cosmopolitan, gastrointestinal, parasitic nematode of man. Ascaris suum, infects pig and is similar to Ascaris lumbricoides. Studies of A. suum provides vital information about the biology of other zoonotic, ascarid nematodes. Eggs of A. suum were obtained from gravid females and incubated at 24oC to obtain infective stage which was administered to rats, (Rattus species) and mice (Microtus species) and their organs later examined. Lung tissues of rats showed severe haemorrhage and mild hyperplasia of peribrochiolar lymphoid tissues. Heart tissues of rats and mice showed cellular infiltration, with infiltrating cells which included lymphocytes. The heart tissues of rats, in addition to cellular infiltration, showed mild centrilobular fatty (vacuolar) degeneration of hepatocytes. No liver tissues of rats showed significant lesion. Intestinal tissues of rats showed cellular infiltration and hyperplasia at 42 days post-infection, lungs tissues of rats and mice showed cellular infiltration. There were cellular casts with mucous materials in the lumens of the intestines of rats and mice. The pathology associated with ascariasis is mainly due to the histological changes in the hosts’ visceral tissues. These changes are believed to be caused by the immunological responses elicited by the host. These are usually allergenic, leading to disease syndromes.
Keywords: Ascaris Lumbricoides, Cosmopolitan, Gastrointestinal, Parasitic Nematodes,