Parâmetros para avaliação clínica em camundongos infectados por Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract

The effectiveness of clinical parameters in the evaluation of Trypanosoma cruzi infection was analyzed in male Swiss mice of 8 week. Animals were divided into HG (healthy) and IG (1400 trypomastigotes, intraperitoneally, Y strain - T. cruzi). Quantitative and qualitative parameters in non-consecutive days was evaluated, 7th-11th and 15th -18th days of infection. There were significant differences (p<0.05) between both groups, in the two periods: water consumption, abdominal circumference and weight. Only the second: amount of excreta, body temperature, move-up and mortality. There was no difference (p>0.05) between the groups in food consumption, exploration of self-cleaning and skin staining. The feature of fecal differed between the groups in the second period. The occurrence of isolation was not practical. Differences were observed in the hair between groups, although the parameter had been interfered by fights between animals. The consumption of water, feed, excreta production, characteristic of the faeces, body temperature, abdominal circumference, move up, weight and mortality parameters are easy to be measured and effective in clinical differentiation of healthy mice and mice infected by T. cruzi, elected in protocols for clinical study with mice, which is the first report to gather information of qualitative and quantitative clinical parameters evaluated in these animals.