Novel Rat Model for Neurocysticercosis Using Taenia solium

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis is caused by Taenia solium infecting the central nervous system and is the leading cause of acquired epilepsy and convulsive conditions worldwide. Research into the pathophysiology of the disease and appropriate treatment is hindered by lack of cost-effective and physiologically similar animal models. We generated a novel rat neurocysticercosis model using intracranial infection with activated T. solium oncospheres. Holtzman rats were infected in two separate groups: the first group was inoculated extraparenchymally and the second intraparenchymally, with different doses of activated oncospheres. The groups were evaluated at three different ages. Histologic examination of the tissue surrounding T. solium cysticerci was performed. Results indicate that generally infected rats developed cysticerci in the brain tissue after 4 months, and the cysticerci were observed in the parenchymal, ventricle, or submeningeal brain tissue. The route of infection did not have a statistically significant effect on the proportion of rats that developed cysticerci, and there was no dependence on infection dose. However, rat age was crucial to the success of the infection. Epilepsy was observed in 9% of rats with neurocysticercosis. In histologic examination, a layer of collagen tissue, inflammatory infiltrate cells, perivascular infiltrate, angiogenesis, spongy change, and mass effect were observed in the tissue surrounding the cysts. This study presents a suitable animal model for the study of human neurocysticercosis.

Experimental neurocysticercosis: absence of IL-4 induces lower encephalitis

“…In our study, all infected animals showed ependymitis, meningitis and perivasculitis. These alterations have also been described in experimental NCC in rats 19 . In our study, it was not possible to observe calcification of the cysticerci, or in the surrounding host tissue.…”

“…In this model, the infected animals presented with tissue alterations and lesions such as encephalitis, perivasculitis, ventriculomegaly, ependymitis, meningitis, microgliosis accompanied by the parasite's death, and extraparenchymal and parenchymal inflammatory infiltration 6,18 . Other experimental models have been proposed but instead of using T. crassiceps cysticerci they performed an intracranial inoculation of T. solium oncospheres in rats 19 and in swine 20 . The rat NCC model reported that the infected animals presented with epilepsy, inflammatory infiltration, perivascular infiltrate, angiogeneses, spongy changes and mass effect in the brain tissue 19 .…”

“…Other experimental models have been proposed but instead of using T. crassiceps cysticerci they performed an intracranial inoculation of T. solium oncospheres in rats 19 and in swine 20 . The rat NCC model reported that the infected animals presented with epilepsy, inflammatory infiltration, perivascular infiltrate, angiogeneses, spongy changes and mass effect in the brain tissue 19 . In the swine NCC model, after four months of infection, it was possible to observe calcified cysticerci surrounded by an exacerbated inflammatory response with lymphocyte infiltration and increased inflammatory markers 20 .…”

In Vitro Study of Taenia solium Postoncospheral Form

“…To determine the viability and infectivity of the PO forms, 15 day old Hotzman rats, purchased from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Lima, Peru, were infected intracranially (in the bregma) as described by Verastegui [16] with 15 and 30 day old PO forms. Rats were anaesthetized with ketamine (100 mg/kg body weight) and xylazine (5 mg/kg body weight) before infection.…”

Recent advancements and new perspectives in animal models for Neurocysticercosis immunopathogenesis

“…Recently, Verastegui et al., (2015) did not find any significant difference in number of cysts developed in the brain in young rats (10‐26 days) injected with variable numbers of activated T. solium oncospheres by extraparenchymal or intraparenchymal routes. The majority of cysts (80%) were viable with vesicular appearance.…”