INTESTINAL PROTEIN-ABSORPTION IN MALNOURISHED MICE WITH ACUTE SCHISTOSOMIASIS-MANSONI

Intestinal protein absorption was studied in undernourished albino Swi ss mice with acute schistosomiasis mansoni. Undernutrition was induced by feeding mice with the Regional Basic Diet (RBD) ingested by human populations in Northeast Brazil, an experimental model previously deve loped in our laboratory. Weaning mice were infected with 40 cercariae and compared to undernourished non-infected mice and/or to infected mi ce fed a balanced control diet. Apparent and True Protein Absorption C oefficients were determined by nitrogen balance studies during five co nsecutive days ending at the 63rd day of the trial (acute phase of mur ine schistosomiasis). Fecal metabolic nitrogen (FMN) was determined af ter administration of a non-protein diet and was also calculated throu gh linear regression. Our results showed a reduced protein absorption in non-infected RBD-fed mice as compared to mice fed a casein control diet. Infection with Schistosoma mansoni had apparently no effect on i ntestinal protein absorption in well-nourished mice. However, infectio n seemed to interfere with protein absorption in under-nourished anima ls, since the lowest absorption ratios have been detected among RBD-fe d infected mice. A brief discussion is made on the advantages of using the method of linear regression for the determination of FMN.