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Apoptosis induced by gamma irradiation of Taenia solium metacestodes

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Abstract.

Gamma irradiation of food is considered a possible approach to control food-borne diseases. In cysticercosis, previous studies have shown that irradiating (with 0.3 kGy) pork infected with Taenia solium larvae completely inhibits growth of the parasite. This study was conducted to evaluate the mechanisms that induce the effect of gamma irradiation on metacestodes of T. solium. Metacestodes were obtained from several infected pigs and irradiated with a dose of 0.3 kGy. The viability of the metacestodes was evaluated by their capacity to evaginate in vitro and in vivo development to tapeworms after they were orally infected into prednisolone-treated golden hamsters. Using the typical ladder pattern of fragmented DNA and the TdT-mediated DUTP-nick-end labeling assay, apoptosis was evaluated in metacestodes after irradiation and in the scolices and tapeworms recovered from infected hamsters at 21 days post-infection. Apoptosis was observed in the structure of scolices obtained from hamsters at 21 days post-infection with irradiated metacestodes, This study provides evidence of the existence of apoptosis in the irradiated metacestodes of T. solium and helps elucidate the possible mechanisms that are involved when gamma irradiation inhibits the normal development of the T. solium metacestode into the adult worm.

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Acknowledgements.

The authors thank the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) for financial support through grants 400 310-5-35418-B and G25-955 M. The authors wish to acknowledge the technical support of Aureliano Torres Garcia and Maribel Nieto and the scholarship provided by CONACyT for the I.F.-P. Special thanks are due to Jose Juan Martinez Maya PhD, for his help with statistics. The experiments carried out comply with the current laws of México.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Patología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CP 04510, México D.F., México

    Aline S. de Aluja

  2. Departamento de Morfología, Laboratorio de Investigación en Biología Tisular de la Reproducción, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CP O4510, México D.F., México

    Ivan Flores-Pérez

  3. Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CP 04510, México D.F., México

    Gladis Fragoso Gonzalez & Edda Sciutto

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  1. Ivan Flores-Pérez
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  2. Gladis Fragoso Gonzalez
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  3. Edda Sciutto
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  4. Aline S. de Aluja
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Correspondence to Aline S. de Aluja.

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Flores-Pérez, I., Gonzalez, G.F., Sciutto, E. et al. Apoptosis induced by gamma irradiation of Taenia solium metacestodes. Parasitol Res 90, 203–208 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0819-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-002-0819-9

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