Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Wertheim.
Inermicapsifer beveridgei n. sp. from Procavia capensis differs from all other species in the genus in having 150-174 testes per segment. The closest species is I. hyracis (Rudolphi, 1810) Janicki, 1919, with 75-120 testes. Hymenolepis vogeae Singh, 1956 and H. horrida (Linstow, 1901) Lühe, 1910, are briefly discussed.
Infective larvae of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis injected into the peritoneum of non-immune rats become coated with several layers of host macrophages. Cell-coated larvae remain free in the peritoneum or attach to the omentum, while other larvae attach to the omentum without becoming coated. All larvae, whether coated or not, die, become pigmented and break into fragments. Ultrastructural observations revealed a progressive disintegration of the soft tissues of the immobilized larvae, characterized by autolytic changes and accumulation of pigment with histochemical characteristics of lipofuscin. The cuticle remains intact and excludes Trypan blue during the entire autolytic process, thus demonstrating that macrophage secretions do not participate in the disintegration process. When larval enzymes are inactivated by heat treatment and the larvae are injected i.p., no autolysis occurs and the internal organs remain recognizable. These larvae become coated over their entire length with several layers of macrophages and are progressively phagocytized by macrophages clustering at both ends. Different modes of nematode disintegration within the rodent host involving macrophages are discussed.
Hydatid disease of the spine is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. Paraplegia is a severe complication and has a low chance for recovery. Surgical drainage and decompression has been the treatment of choice although success was limited. Medical treatment with mebendazole was introduced in 1977 for cystic and alveolar Hydatid disease of the liver. In this paper, a case with Hydatid disease with complete paraplegia is presented. He was treated by combined surgical and medical treatment that included several surgical drainages, decompression, and fusion procedures, accompanied by high dose mebendazole for three years. Recovery from the paraplegia was complete except for the persistence of a neurogenic bladder. Neither clinical nor laboratory evidence of activity of the disease existed after six years of follow-up. This case must encourage further clinical trials in such cases, combining surgical treatment with mebendazole.
Larvae and adults of Strongyloides ratti were examined for collagenolytic activity on 14C proline-labelled, native, guinea-pig skin collagen substrate. The activity was measured by determining either the amount of hydroxyproline released or the amount of radioactivity in the solubilized fraction of the collagen substrate. Bacterial collagenase was used for enzyme control and trypsin served as substrate control. No collagenolytic activity was found in living larvae, their extracts or metabolites. The collagenolytic activity of the metabolites of adult worms appeared weak, whereas that of the extracts of the adults was pronounced. It is suggested that collagenase is active in the adult females at the time of migration in the intestinal mucosa during oviposition.
A 46-year-old man, who was twice operated on for echinococcosis and who suffered from recurrent angioneurotic edema, was hospitalized with anaphylactic shock. Chest x-ray examination showed round lesions in the lungs; Casoni, immunofluorescence and hemagglutination tests for echinococcosis were strongly positive. With a diagnosis of disseminated echinococcosis, drug treatment with mebenzadole was given for 29 weeks (the last 22 weeks a dose of 1,200 mg daily). No side effects were observed, allergic manifestations disappeared, and the round lesions were noticeably reduced. The titer of hemagglutination fell gradually, and IgE concentration initially increased and later fell. Mebendazole is proposed as a drug of choice in the cure of disseminated hydatidosis; it may both alter the indication for operation and considerably improve the prognosis.
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Pneumospirura rodentium a lung parasite of Gerbillus dasyurus and Meriones crassus is described. P. hainanensis Wu and Hu, 1938 and Metathelazia servalis Chabaud and Biocca, 1950, have cephalic structures resembling those of P. rodentium. But the three species can be differentiated by the size of spicules, their localization, hosts and geographical distribution.
In a study with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) five different types of cephalic structure were found in five species of Pneumospiruridae recorded in Israel. The description, in the literature, of a sixth type, based on a study with the light microscope, was also considered in evaluating the results. By comparing descriptions and drawings of the known Pneumospiruridae with the SEM micrographs the species in the family were grouped into two genera: 1. Vogeloides Dougherty, 1952 in which the form of the cephalic structures could be correlated with the structure of the oesophagus; 2. Metathelazia Skinker, 1931 in which the cephalic structures could not be correlated with any other morphological or anatomical character. The species included in the genus Metathelazia were therefore grouped on the basis of the form of cephalic structures in 5 types: booliati, multipapillata, acomysi, capsulata and rodentium. The genus Pneumospirura Wu and Hu, 1938 is considered a subjective synonym of Metathelazia.