Murine schistosomiasis mansoni: experimental analysis of bone marrow and peripheral myelopoiesis.

In schistosomiasis a systemic hyperplasia of the monomacrophagic cell lineage is associated with its mild modifications in myelograms and hemograms. We monitored the in vitro proliferation of myeloid precursors obtained from bone marrow, blood, spleen, and liver. The macrophage colony-forming unit (M-CFU) numbers were stable in bone marrow but increased progressively in spleen and in liver, reaching in each organ the values equivalent to one femur. The bone marrow had an increased production and enhanced capacity to release M-CFU. Their quantitative increase in blood and in peripheral tissues of schistosome-infected mice was associated with their qualitative modifications: augmented proliferative capacity, enhanced adhesion, and accelerated differentiation. The accelerated release of monomacrophage progenitors and their enhanced proliferation in peripheral tissues potentially account for the relatively low involvement of the bone marrow and for an efficient in situ production of phagocytes, which participate in host reactions to parasites.