Leishmania infantum in Chinese hamsters

Abstract

In hamsters inoculated with a Mediterranean strain of L, infantum, the general course was found to be infection of the lymphatics, followed by invasion of the liver, spleen, etc, when parasites often appeared in the circulating blood. After a variable period, the parasites gradually disappeared from the internal viscera and became localized either in the tissues surrounding the distal joints of the limbs and tail where they produced marked swellings of the joints, or in the testes, and sometimes in thickened ulcerations of the nose and ears. This is in marked contrast to the course of infection in hamsters infected with Chinese or Indian strains of L. donovani. Pathological changes in the testis of hamsters infected with L. infantum were found to be mainly a great increase in amount of inter-tubular tissue. Sperm mother-cells containing Leishmania were observed. Sections of swollen ankles showed that the thickening was mainly the result of parasitized clasmatocytes around the ankle joint. The bone marrow of the lower ends of tibula and fibula was almost entirely replaced by parasitized clasmatocytes which also extended into the tarsals and meta-tarsals. Parasites were not found in the skin except where obvious lesions were present, in contrast with the Chinese strain of Leishmania.