Ovaries and adrenals in murine Schistosomiasis mansoni. II. Some observations on the function of the ovaries in acute infection.

In mice with acute schistosomiasis mansoni the mean serum level of progesterone, as determined by radioimmunoassay, was significantly lower than in non-infected control animals, probably due to the atrophy of corpora lutea and the discontinuance of their development described in an earlier paper. In spite of the histopathological changes in the ovaries and the decreased level of progesterone in the blood, estrus was present in some infected animals.

Ovaries and adrenals in murine Schistosomiasis mansoni. III. Morphology and function of the adrenals in acute infection.

In mice with acute Schistosoma mansoni infection lipoid depletion was found in the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex without any other major histological alterations of the adrenals. Schistosomiasis did not influence the weight of the adrenals, or the cortisol level of the blood serum as determined by radioimmunoassay. The changes in morphology and function of the ovaries in the same infected animals reported earlier point to the vulnerability of the gonads in schistosomiasis mansoni, which may be a consequence of partial hypopituitarism.