Characteristics of eosinophilic inclusions within Schistosoma japonicum eggs

Abstract

Although eosinophilic bar- or droplet-like inclusions are frequently detectable inside eggs deposited in the livers of Schistosoma japonicum-infected animals, little is known of their exact nature. In the livers of mice implanted with freshly laid eggs, inclusion-positive eggs were found in 28·7 and 46·2% of deposited eggs at 2 and 4 weeks, respectively, after implantation, but in 4·3% at 5 weeks when most of the eggs had already degenerated. When the extent of granuloma formation was investigated, granulomas around inclusion-positive eggs were smaller than those around negative eggs. Host factors associated with the formation of inclusion were sought using in vivo and in vitro studies. Following the administration of anti-egg antigen serum into egg-implanted mice, no increase in occurrence of inclusion-positive eggs was seen. In a co-culture of mature eggs with infected rabbit or mouse serum, inclusions were rarely found. In contrast, they were found in 17·9% of eggs in the presence of splenic cells. The present study is the first to show that there is decreased granuloma formation in the presence of eosinophilic inclusions inside eggs and our in vitro study suggests that host cell–egg interaction is responsible for the formation of inclusions.