ORIGINAL ARTICLE/ ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL HISTOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI INFECTION IN AKODON CURSOR (RODENTIA: SIGMODONTINAE) CARACTERÍSTICAS HISTOPATÓLOGICAS DE LA INFECCIÓN POR SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI EN AKODON CURSOR (RODENTIA: SIGMODONTINAE)

The Brazilian grass mouse Akodon cursor Winge, 1887 is notably susceptible to both natural and experimental infection by Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907. This study was concerned with the histopathological features of the S. mansoni experimental infection. Laboratory-reared mice were infected with 150 cercariae (BH strain) by subcutaneous route and killed 9 weeks later. Samples of host tissues, including liver, spleen, intestine and pancreas were collected for histopathological examination. In this acute infection, tissue involvement was of variable intensity, although exudative granulomas predominated in all tissues observed. The cellular composition was predominated by lymphocytes, macrophages and eosinophils and fibroblasts, depending on the individual granuloma and its developmental stage. Our results showed that A. cursor may provide a useful model for studying the pathogenesis of schistosomiais mansoni in a wild rodent model.