ENHANCED LIVER-CELL MUTATIONS IN TREMATODE-INFECTED BIG BLUE(R) TRANSGENIC MICE

Parasite infections in humans have long been associated with specific types of cancers. Schistosoma hematobium is a known inducer of urinary bladder cancer, Helicobacter pylori is a gastric carcinogen, and hepa titis B virus and Opisthorchis viverrini are causative agents of liver cell cancers. Another liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, has also been i dentified as a neoplastic risk agent, primarily in animals. We used F. hepatica as a model agent to determine if the presence of an aggressi ve liver fluke could induce mutagenic events in mammalian tissue. Usin g the Big Blue(R) transgenic mouse assay, we found a two-fold increase in lad mutations in cells harvested from mice harboring F. hepatica w orms when compared to uninfected control animals. These data indicate that biological infections can cause increased genetic damage in surro unding host tissue. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .