The effect of reinfection with Neodiplostomum seoulensis on the histopathology and activities of brush border membrane bound enzymes in the rat small intestine

Neodiplostomum seoulensis, one of the human intestinal trematodes, was reinfected to albino rats, and worm recovery rates, histopathology and activity changes of the intestinal brush border membrane bound enzymes were observed. The experimental groups were three; uninfected, primary infection and reinfection. The worm recovery rate in the reinfection group was much lower than in the primary infection group 14 days after infection. The duodenal histopathology showed villous atrophy during the first and second week in the primary infection group. In the reinfection group, however, villous changes occurred as early as 3 days after the infection, and the lesion was found healed 7 days after infection. The activities of alkaline phosphatase and sucrase in the duodenum of primary infection rats decreased nearly half of the controls 2 weeks after infection, whereas the activities were unchanged in the reinfection group. However, no changes in the activities were observed in the proximal jejunum between the experimental groups. These findings suggested that a secondary infection of N. seoulensis in rats should make less damage on the intestinal mucosa than a primary infection.