ASSESSMENT OF NEUROINFLAMMATORY AND NEURODEGENERATIVE ALTERATIONS IN THE BRAIN IN A MOUSE MODEL OF VISCERAL LARVA MIGRANS

Abstract

Neurotoxocariasis is a parasitic zoonosis resulting from the intrusion of the larvae of dogroundworm Toxocara canis into the central nervous system (CNS), leading to severe CNS insults,and provoking different neurological manifestations ranging from headache to convulsionsand paresis. This work assessed the probable occurrence of neuroinflammatory and neuro-degenerativealterations in the brain tissues of T. canis infected mice and evaluated the changes inbrain parasite loads over the course of infection. The total larval loads in the brain, histopathological,immunohistochemical (MMP-3 & MMP-9) examination as well as determination of NFcellinfiltration around larvae in brain tissues of mice, expressions of all the investigated markersof neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration showed an ascending pattern throughout thecourse of the infection and were directly proportional to the increase in the brain larval loads.