effect of infection of the filarial parasite brugia malayi - Pondicherry ...

CHAPTER 4.4
HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN MASTOMYS NATALENSIS INFECTED
WITH BRUGIA MALAY1 AND ITS RELATION TO DEC TREATMENT
4.4.1 MATERIALS AND METHODS
A group of 16 animals were maintained for 120 days, of wh~ch half sewed as
control and the other half were infected with B. malayi. Four animals each from the
control and infected group were administered with DEC (as described earlier) and
maintained for comparison purpose. Animals were euthanized using diethyl ether and
necropsied. Gross pathology was studied after systematic dissection. Representative
tissues from lungs, testes, heart, brain, liver, kidney and spleen were taken and fixed in
10% buffered formalin. Tissues were processed by routine paraffin embedding technique
and 5 micron thick sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and
examined under light microscope.
4.4.2 RESULTS
4.4.2.1 Studies after B. malayi infection
4.4.2.1.1 Lungs
The lungs of the control animals did not have any pathological change except for
the presence of few RBC's in the alveoli. In the infected animals, the lesions Included
mild exfoliative changes (Plate 2) in bronchiolar epithelium and moderate to severe
haemorrhages (Plate 3). ln such areas macrophages laden with haemosederin pigment
were also observed (Plate 4). Either sections or complete mf were seen in lumen of blood
vessels (Plates 5 & 6). perivascular space within the extravasited blood vessel, in the
connective tissue (Plate 6) and beneath the pluera. In some of the areas, mf was
surrounded by mononuclear infiltratory cells. Presence of giant cells suggests the
chronicity of the lesions (Plate 8). In a few infected animals, adult parasites were seen in
pockets (Plate 9) and out of them a few wen ncognised as adult female due to the
presence of mf in them. (Plate 10).