Aa. Gbakima, THE EFFECT OF DIETARY-PROTEIN ON TRICHINELLA-SPIRALIS INFECTION AND INFLAMMATORY REACTIONS IN THE TONGUE IN CD1 MICE, Nutrition research, 13(7), 1993, pp. 787-800
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of changes of hos
t dietary protein concentrationon the propagation and expulsion of adu
lt worms of Trichinella spiralis by mice and the larva-induced inflamm
atory response in tongue muscle. Five week old CD1 female mice were fe
d low (4%) or normal (26%) protein diets respectively for six weeks an
d infected with 200 larvae of T. spiralis. The low (4%) protein diet e
xerted a significant weight loss in infected mice in that dietary grou
p compared to mice fed the 26% protein diet and infected. The (4%) pro
tein deficient diet diminished the expulsion of T. spiralis from the i
ntestinal tract. Counts of adults worms on Days 10, 14, post-infection
(PI) and of larvae on Day 35 PI of mice fed the (4%) protein diet wer
e significantly increased compred to counts in mice on the normal (26%
) protein diet. The severity of the inflammatory response to T. spiral
is larvae was proportional in tongue muscle to the adequacy of dietary
protein. The low (4%) protein diet induced leucopenia, with the suppr
ession of peripheral and tissue eosinophilia and its related allergic
response. The low (4%) protein diet also delayed, and weakened the inf
lammatory response to the invading prasites compared to the normal (25
%) protein diet.