On skeletal muscle pathology in trichinosis

A study was carried out on the pathology of trichinosis in human muscle biopsy sample and comparatively in experimental trichinosis in the rat, by current microscopic techniques and Troitsky's method of block silver impregnation of the nerve endings. Stress is laid upon the incipient changes in the parasitized muscle fibers, the sarcolemmic origin of the parasite capsule, the myogenic nature of certain periparasitary but intracapsular clear cells of precocious appearance and other associated, non-specific lesions, such as common myositis changes or giant myogenic foreign-body cells. The intimate relationships between parasitized muscle fibres, cellular interstitial reactions, local new-growth vessels and proliferation of the nerve endings are also described. The morpho-functional significance of such morphological synergic manifestations is discussed as an adaptation to the new local conditions brought about by the appearance of the peculiar muscle fibre-parasite unit in trichinosis.