Effects of high fat diets on worm recovery, growth and distribution of Echinostoma caproni in ICR mice.

The effects of high fat diets (HFDs) on the host-parasite relationship of Echinostoma caproni in ICR mice were studied. Two HFDs were used, one consisting of a customized high fat diet (CHFD) with 45% lipid in the form of cottonseed oil, and the second consisting of an egg yolk diet (EYD) from domestic hens' eggs, with 31% lipid. Controls for both diets consisted of mice fed a standard laboratory diet with 5% lipid. Mice were each fed 25 cysts of E. caproni by stomach tube and necropsied 2, 3 and 4 weeks postinfection (PI). The weight of mice on the CHFD declined significantly compared to mice on the control diet, but there was no significant decline in weight of mice fed EYD compared to the controls. Worm recoveries from mice on both HFDs were significantly less than those from control hosts. There was a significant decline in worm dry weight, body area and uterine egg counts in worms on HFD compared to those on the control diet. Worms from hosts on HFD were located more anteriad in the gut than those recovered from mice on the control diet.