MAY SCHISTOSOMIASIS HAEMATOBIUM AND MANSONI LEAD TO INFERTILITY IN THE HOST?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain-Shams University Cairo 11566, Egypt

Abstract

Schistosomiasis is worldwide water-borne infectious risky disease. Steroid hormones are synthesized
from cholesterol in adrenal glands and gonads. They include corticosteroids, androgens,
estrogens and progestogens. The present study evaluated the effect of Schistosoma mansoni and
S. haematobium infections on the hamsters’ fertility as indicated by the changes of steroid sex
hormones levels. Eighteen Mesocricetus auratus clear laboratory bred hamsters (9 males & 9
females) were divided into 3 groups. G1: was infected with S. mansoni cercariae, G2: was infected
with S. haematobium cercariae, and G3: was not infected (negative control). The results
showed that testosterone level increased in all infected hamsters but markedly increased in those
infected with schistosomiasis haematobium (7.52 & 0.78nmol/L) as compared to control (2.41 &
0.341nmol/L). Progesterone level decreased in all infected hamsters especially in S. mansoni and
S. haematobium females (5.732 & 11.13nmol/L) in comparison to control (86.34 &
64.7nmol/L). Estradiol E2 level markedly decreased in female hamsters infected with either S.
mansoni or S. haematobium (247.54 & 463.8pmol/L) as compared to control (1658pmol/L) but
not detected in male hamsters.

Keywords

Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology
Volume 50, Issue 2
August 2020
Pages 265-269

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