TRICHINELLA-SPIRALIS AND TRICHINELLA-PSEUDOSPIRALIS INDUCE COLLAGEN-SYNTHESIS BY HOST FIBROBLASTS IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO

Immunoperoxidase staining of muscle infected with Trichinella spiralis for murine collagen types I and IV provided both qualitative and quan titative evidence of extensive synthesis of both types of collagen by fibroblasts in infected muscle compared to that seen in uninfected mus cle. Moreover, fibroblasts in muscle infected with T. pseudospiralis, a nonencapsulating species, showed significantly less staining for bot h types of collagen compared to muscle from mice infected with T. spir alis. Analysis of collagen composition of isolated nurse cells using a n ELISA specific for either type I or type IV murine collagen suggeste d that of these 2 types of collagen, only type IV basement membrane co llagen is found in Trichinella capsular collagen. Excretory/secretory products of T. spiralis and T. pseudospiralis induced extensive synthe sis of exclusively type IV collagen by 3T3 murine fibroblasts in vitro .