Trichuris spiralis

There is good evidence, for a number of helminth species, that different parasite lines vary in their infection characteristics in hosts, much of which is reviewed by Read and Viney (1996). For example, different isolates of Trichinella spiralis vary in the kinetics of their primary infection in the same mouse strain. Crucially, these differences are removed when mice are immunosuppressed (Bolas-Fernandez and Wakelin, 1989). Analogous observations have been made for Trichuris muris in mice. Different isolates differed in the kinetics of infection and expulsion. However, in immunosuppressed mice, all isolates had similar fecundity (Bellaby et al., 1995). Combined, these observations show immune-dependent variation between parasite lines in their infection kinetics. 

Roundworms (nematodes) pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis) whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) Ascaris lumbricoides Trichinella spiralis Strongyloides stercoralis Hookworm (Necatoramericanus, and Ancylostoma duodenale) mebendazole or pyrantel pamoate mebendazole mebendazole or pyrantel pamoate mebendazole and thiabendazole thiabendazole mebendazole or pyrantel pamoate mebendazole or pyrantel pamoate... 

Pennock JL, Behnke JM, Bickle QD, Devaney E, Grends RK, Isaac RE, Joshua GWR Selkirk ME, Zhang Y, Meyer DJ (1998) Rapid purification and characterization of L-dopachrome-methyl ester tautomerase (macrophage-migration-inhibitory factor) from Trichinella spiralis, Trichuris muris and Brugia pahangi. Biochem J 335 495 98... 

Thiabendazole s effect on larvae of Trichinella spiralis that have migrated to muscle is questionable. It suppresses egg and larval production and may inhibit the subsequent development of those eggs or larvae that are passed in the feces. Although the exact mechanism is unknown, the drug inhibits the helminth-specific enzyme fumarate reductase. The anthelmintic activity against Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) is least predictable. 

However, this seemingly strong association between human and rat eosinophils and IgE-mediated diseases has been unclear in mice. For example, analyses of the effects of antibodies to IL-5 on helminth-induced eosinophilia have shown that anti-IL-5 suppresses blood eosinophilia and eosinophil infiltration into the tissues of parasitized animals. However, ablation of eosinophilia by anti-IL-5 was not associated with a diminution of resistance in mice infected with S. mansoni (26) or with Trichinella spiralis (27). These findings suggest that eosinophils are not involved in the expression of immunity to these parasites, at least in these mouse models. In contrast, mice infected with Trichuris muris showed the exactly opposite findings. In this infection, the resistance to infection was associated with the production of Th2 cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-5, tissue eosinophilia, and intestinal IgA production (28). Furthermore, in murine asthma models, the experiments using anti-IL-5 showed that neither IL-5 nor eosinophils were required for airway hyperresponsiveness in BALB/c mice sensitized and challenged with... 

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