Histopathological changes associated with Trypanosoma congolense infection in Albino rats

Abstract

This work was carried out to evaluate the Histopathological lesions associated with experimental infection of Trypanosoma congolense in albino rats. Ten apparently healthy albino rats were randomly distributed into two groups (A and B). Group A (4 albino rats) which served as control while Group B (6 albino rats) to be infected with T. congolense organism. Each member of group B was inoculated intraperitonially with 1x106 trypanosomes per 0.5 ml of blood obtained from donor mouse and monitored for changes in parasitemia. The peak parasitemia were observed at day 9 PI, the rats were humanely sacrificed and vital organs (brain, lungs heart, liver, spleen, kidney, and intestinal tract) were examined grossly and harvested for histopathological examination using H&E stain. The results revealed grossly pericarditis, hepatitis, nephritis, splenomegaly, petechiae haemorrhages at the intestinal mucosa and histopathological lesions observed were acute congestion of meningeal capillaries, perivascular Oedema, Neuronecrosis (vaculations), gliosis in the brain, congestion, Hyperplasia of the alveolar wall, perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes around small blood vessels (venules and arterioles) and thickened interalveolar septae infiltrated with mononuclear cells in the lungs, Vasculitis, mononuclear cellular infiltration, myocardial necrosis and haemorrhagic myocardium in heart, haemorrhages and acute congestion along with segregation of lymphoid follicles, hyperplasia, reticulo endothelial cells and considerable amount of amorphous haemosiderin granules in the spleen, Cellular infiltration of the portal triad and vasculitis in the liver, tubular necrosis, glomerulonephritis and destruction of Bowman’s capsule in the kidney and petechae haemorrhages, necrosis of the intestinal villi, formation of pseudomembrane in the intestinal lumen and depletion of germinal centre of the intestinal tract. It can be concluded that experimental infection of albino rats with Trypanosoma congolense produced significant pathologic changes in vital organs.