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The crowding effect in Ancylostoma ceylanicum: density-dependent effects on an experimental model of infection

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Abstract

This study compared the course of Ancylostoma ceylanicum infection in hamsters infected with different inocula and the consequences for the host and helminth populations. The average of adult worms recovered, according to the number of third stage larva used, were 28.0, 24.8, 24.6, and 24.8 % to inocula size of 25 L3, 75 L3, 125 L3, and 250 L3, respectively. The size of the inoculum did not affect the establishment, survival, or fecundity of adult helminths. Reductions in the red blood cell and hemoglobin levels in the infected group were inversely proportional to the number of white blood cells. Moreover, differential cell counting revealed a positive correlation between the worm load and leucocyte numbers. The humoral response against excretion-secretion antigens was more robust and sensitive compared with the response against crude extract, with no direct linear correlation with the number of worms. The effect of the population density was more evident in females.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by CAPES, FAPEMIG, and Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa da UFMG.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Parasitologia Molecular, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, CEP 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Luciana Ribeiro Serafim, Hudson Andrade dos Santos, Sílvia Regina Costa Dias & Élida Mara Leite Rabelo

  2. Centro Universitário Una, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Jéssica Paôla Gonçalves da Silva & Maria da Gloria Quintão Silva

  3. Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Nívia Carolina Nogueira de Paiva & Cláudia Martins Carneiro

  4. Laboratório de Genética Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Sílvia Regina Costa Dias

  5. Faculdade Estácio de Sá de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Sílvia Regina Costa Dias

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  1. Luciana Ribeiro Serafim
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  8. Élida Mara Leite Rabelo
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Correspondence to Élida Mara Leite Rabelo.

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Serafim, L.R., da Silva, J.P.G., de Paiva, N.C.N. et al. The crowding effect in Ancylostoma ceylanicum: density-dependent effects on an experimental model of infection. Parasitol Res 113, 4611–4621 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4151-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4151-y

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