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Sex-determined susceptibility and differential MUC2 mRNA expression during the course of murine intestinal eimeriosis

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Abstract

Parasitic diseases differ in prevalence, course, and severity between males and females. The study was designed to compare males with females for the susceptibility to Eimeria papillata infection as well as the expression of the mucin gene, MUC2. Oocysts output was detected to be more in the feces of male mice (3.5 × 104 ± 4000 oocysts/g feces) than in females (2 × 104 ± 2000 oocysts/g feces). In addition, infected males showed a significant higher number of meronts, gamonts, and developing oocysts compared to infected female mice. Moreover, E. papillata induced a marked goblet cell hypoplasia where the jejuna of infected male mice contained lower numbers of goblet cells per ten villus-crypt units compared to infected females. Also, the expression of MUC2 mRNA is found to be more expressed in infected females than males. In addition, testosterone, nitric oxide, and inducible nitric oxide synthase activities were found to be higher in infected male mice than in infected females. In general, male Swiss albino mice have been shown to be relatively more susceptible to infection with E. papilaata when compared with female mice.

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Acknowledgment

The author would like to extend his sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for its funding this Research group NO. (RG−1435-198).

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Correspondence to Mohamed A. Dkhil.

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Fig. S1

Goblet cells in mouse jejunum. Alcian blue stained section from a non-infected (a) and E. papillata infected (b) male mouse, and from non-infected (c) and infected (d) female mouse. Bar = 50 um. (JPEG 537 kb)

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Dkhil, M.A. Sex-determined susceptibility and differential MUC2 mRNA expression during the course of murine intestinal eimeriosis. Parasitol Res 114, 283–288 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4192-2

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