Michael E, Bundy D A
Department of Biology, Imperial College, University of London.
Parasitology. 1991 Dec;103 Pt 3:403-11. doi: 10.1017/s0031182000059928.
The relationship between host dietary protein and intestinal helminth population biology during primary infection was studied using a mouse-T. muris experimental model. Uninfected CBA/Ca mice fed either a 4% (by mass) or 16% protein diet grew at a similar rate, but both suffered significant growth retardation when infected with T. muris. T. muris initial establishment and fecundity were unaffected by dietary protein content, but were significantly influenced by infection dose, declining at the higher level of infection. Dietary protein deficiency increased parasite survival at high infection levels. Heavily infected hosts fed the 16% protein diet were found to expel almost the whole of their infections around day 21 p.i. By contrast, this response appeared defective in hosts fed the lower 4% protein diet, resulting in the establishment and survival of large, chronic and patent infections. Mean faecal egg output per mouse increased with infection dose in animals fed a low protein diet, but was low and unrelated to infection exposure in hosts fed the 16% protein diet. It is concluded that low protein levels in diet, via alterations in host resistance, may have an important influence on the transmission of T. muris.
利用小鼠 - 鼠三毛滴虫实验模型，研究了初次感染期间宿主膳食蛋白质与肠道蠕虫种群生物学之间的关系。喂食4%（质量）或16%蛋白质饮食的未感染CBA/Ca小鼠生长速率相似，但感染小鼠三毛滴虫后均出现显著生长迟缓。小鼠三毛滴虫的初次定植和繁殖力不受膳食蛋白质含量的影响，但受感染剂量的显著影响，在较高感染水平下会下降。膳食蛋白质缺乏会增加高感染水平下寄生虫的存活率。发现喂食16%蛋白质饮食的重度感染宿主在感染后约21天排出几乎全部感染。相比之下，喂食4%低蛋白质饮食的宿主这种反应似乎有缺陷，导致大量慢性显性感染的定植和存活。喂食低蛋白质饮食的动物中，每只小鼠的平均粪便虫卵产量随感染剂量增加，但喂食16%蛋白质饮食的宿主中该产量较低且与感染暴露无关。得出结论，饮食中低蛋白质水平可能通过改变宿主抵抗力对鼠三毛滴虫的传播产生重要影响。
