Morphometric and histochemical study of the adrenal cortex in experimental schistosomiasis mansoni

In this study, 45 mice were used, 30 mice of them were injected subcutaneously with 80-100 schistosoma mansoni cercariae and 15 mice remained uninfected and served as a control group. Infected mice were killed at 8 and 12 weeks post-infection while control mice were killed at one time. Paraffin sections were made from adrenal cortex and liver. The thickness and cellularity of zonae glomerulosa and fasciculata as well as the serum cortisol level were determined. In the infected group of mice, the zona glomerulosa and fasciculata increased in the thickness and cellularity and the serum cortisol level increased with the progression of infection as compared with the control uninfected group. Bilharzial liver granulomas were profound in the infected group at 12 weeks post-infection which coincided with the time of suprarenal hyperactivity.