ABSTRACT
Nematode parasite infections have become useful models for studying the impact of inflammatory processes on several aspects of gut function. Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract is associated with altered patterns of motility, and changes have been observed, for example, in the esophagus, stomach and colon. Muscarinic receptors on smooth muscle were examined using either 3H-N-Methylscopolamine or 3H-Quinuclidinyl benzilate, in the presence or absence of 10uM atropine to determine specific binding. The increased contractile response to carbachol in infected rats was substantially greater than that observed following experimental pump blockade of muscle from control rats, although it is acknowledged that acute and chronic pump suppression may have different consequences on the contractile function of the cell. The corticosteroid betamethasone was used to suppress the inflammatory response to the T.spiralis infection. Studies have also been performed in congenitally athymic (rnu/rnu) rats and their thymus-bearing littermates (rnu/+) following T.spiralis infection.
