The role of the load and duration of Schistosoma mansoni infection in immune complex mediated schistosomal nephropathy in hamsters.

A significant proteinuria, impairment renal function tests and increased Schistosomal immune complex were observed in infected hamsters by injection of 150 cercariae or more but not in the controls and the hamsters infected with 100 cercariae. There was a significant correlation between these changes and duration of infection and the number of adult worm recovered from the mesenteric circulation Histopathological evaluation showed appearance of circulating immune complex and IgG deposits by the 9th-week following infection, mesangial proliferative glomeriolonephritis appeared in the renal biopsies. There was a significant correlation between the pathologic changes and duration and the load of S. mansoni infection. It is clear that both immune complex deposition and amyloidosis stand as major pathogenic mechanisms that deposited in mesangium and along peripheral capillary lining.