TABLE CONTENTS

TOPIC THREE – NEMATODE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ULTRA-
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
Trichinella pseudospiralis : Muscle Phase Study after Modulation of the
Host Response, using an Immunostimulant Drug
Boulos, L. & I.H .Hegazy
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
Trichinella pseudospiralis a non encapsulating species of the genus Trichinella and the only
species that infects both mammals and birds ,was not considered a potential pathogen of
humans and domestic animals,however this pathogen has since been detected in domestic
animals and humans in different locations around the world.
Infection with Trichinella pseudospiralis is accompanied by pronounced suppression of host
inflammatory response.This study examines the effect of infection with this parasite on one
major component of cell mediated immunity: delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction
and the effect of administration of an immunostimulant drug (Levamisole) on host response
to Trichinella pseudospiralis infection at different time intervals.Early administration of
Levamisole restored DTH response to normal and histopathological examination of infected
muscles revealed evident collagen deposition around the muscle larvae.
Scanning electron microscopic examination revealed multiple clear cystic formations on the
surface of the diaphragm muscle. Such structures were seen evidently when the drug was
given as early as the 6 th day post infection.A membrane like structure was observed around
Trichinella pseudospiralis larvae, a very interesting observation regarding this non
encapsulating parasite.
A Homologue of the Human dj-1 Gene is Upregulated in Response to
Desiccation and Osmotic Stress in the Nematode Aphelenchus avenae
Culleton, B. (1), P. Lall (2), W. Reardon (3), J.G. McCaffrey (2) & A.M. Burnell (1)
(1) Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland;(2)
Department of Chemistry, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland; (3)
Ashtown Food Research Centre, Teagasc, Ashtown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
Anhydrobiosis is a phenomenon whereby certain organisms including rotifers, tardigrades
and numerous nematode species enter a state of suspended animation when subjected to
drought conditions. These anhydrobiotic organisms can potentially survive in this desiccated
state for indefinite time periods. The nematodes Aphelenchus avenae a free-living
mycophagous nematode, and Panagrolaimus superbus a bacterial feeding nematode, both
display anhydrobiotic capabilities. We screened an A. avenae EST dataset to identify genes
upregulated upon desiccation and osmotic pressure and thirty distinct ESTs were isolated.
One of these ESTs encoded a gene with homology to human dj-1, a gene which has attracted
much attention recently due to its involvement in early onset familial Parkinson’s disease
(PD). We present here a phylogenetic analysis of the dj-1 gene family. Numerous functions
for the DJ-1 protein have been elucidated, these include: a positive regulator of the androgen
receptor; an RNA binding protein and a transcriptional regulator. More recent studies have
5 th International Congress of Nematology, 2008 195