Dr. Murai Éva szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 22. (Budapest, 1989)
Immunosuppression was induced by feeding a low-protein diet and by steroid treatment. The protein content of the diet was decreased to 8%. The daily ration of a rat (20.Og) contained 9.0 g starch, 3.0 g edible oil, 6.0 g sawdust, 1.6 g casein and 0.4 g yeast.Every rat received 25 mg cortisone acetate subcutaneously twice a week. To prevent bacterial and fungal infections, 15 mg Oxytetracycline and 15 mg nystatin were added to the drinking water. The control rats were fed a normal rat diet. Both the treated and the control rats were weighed before the experiment and in the 4th and 7th week of the experiment. In the 8th week of treatment, with 1-2 days difference, every rat having been treated became terminally ill. The animals were sacrified before death could set in, their lungs were removed, and impression smears were made of them. At the same time, samples were taken from the lungs, spleen and a lymph node, and fixed in formalin for histological processing. Impression smears were stained with Giemsa and histological preparations were stained with haemotoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-silver-metabisulphlte. No signs or lesions indicative of infection were observed in the control rats. RESULTS Changes in the rats' body mass are shown in the Table 1. Changes in the body mass of rate subjected to immunosuppressive treatment Serial number of rat Body mass before treatment (s) Change in body mass by week 4 of the experiment Change in body mass by week 7 of the experiment Serial number of rat Body mass before treatment (s) g % g % 1 160 120 -25.0 115 -28.1 2 140 100 -28.6 died died 3 170 120 -29.4 105 -38.2 4 190 120 -36.8 110 -42.1 5 195 135 -30.8 145 -25.6 6 170 130 -23.6 110 -35.3 7 170 130 -23.6 110 -35.3 8 175 130 -25.7 120 -31.4 9 170 110 . -35.3 115 -32.3 10 140 100 -28.6 100 -28.6 By the 4th week the body mass of the rats having been treated decreased by 25 to 30% whereas by the 7th week it decreased less: this was at-about another 10%. At the above weighing Legend to the figures Fig. 1. Pneumocystis carinii in impression smear of a lung. Giemsa staining, x 240 Fig. 2. Detail of Flg. 1. Magnification: x 1 200 Fig. 3. Lymphoid cell depletion in a lymph node (detail). Giemsa staining, x 63 (Authors photo „)
